FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Abu Qatada

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has met (a) his Jordanian counterpart, (b) officials in the government of Jordan and (c) the Jordanian Ambassador or his representatives to discuss the case of Abu-Qatada since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: We have had continuous dialogue with Jordanian counterparts on Qatada's case. Since the decision of 17 January by the European Court on Human Rights, the Prime Minister has spoken to King Abdullah on this issue, the Minister of Crime and Security at the Home Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (James Brokenshire), has visited Jordan and senior officials, including our ambassador in Amman, have discussed it with the Jordanian Prime Minister. Led by the Home Office, Government officials and Ministers both in the UK and Jordan, will continue to engage the Jordanian Prime Ministry and Ministry of Interior to resolve this case.

Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support security and anti-terrorism capacity in (a) Nigeria, (b) Kenya and (c) other parts of Africa.

Alistair Burt: Increases in terrorist attacks and outbreaks of sectarian violence have posed serious challenges over past months to the Nigerian Government. The UK has shared its expertise on counter-terrorism policy, doctrine and legal frameworks, and also provided assistance with specific capabilities such as managing the consequences of terrorist attacks. In all cases the co-operation has emphasised compliance with international human rights standards. The UK also supports programmes that aim to address some of the root causes of conflict and insecurity, such as poverty and unequal division of power and resources.
	We are supporting Kenya to strengthen its border and maritime security capacity, and the Department for International Development is supporting security preparations in the run up to elections in the country.
	We are also working across East Africa, with Kenya, Somalia and other countries in the region to build their capability to investigate, detain and prosecute terrorists in accordance with international human rights standards.
	In other parts of Africa we prioritise our counter terrorism work where we judge the threat to the UK and its interests to be greatest. We base our work on the four workstreams outlined in the Government's Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST):
	Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare.

Bahrain

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Mr John Yates about his appointment as police adviser to the government of Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: John Yates was appointed directly by the Bahraini Government in December and is an employee of the Ministry of Interior. The British Government have had no involvement in his appointment.
	Members of staff from the British embassy have met a wide range of interlocutors who are currently assisting the Bahraini Government with their reforms, including Mr Yates. There has been no ministerial contact with Mr Yates in connection with this appointment.

Bahrain

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Bahrain about the appointment of Mr John Yates as adviser on policing to that government.

Alistair Burt: I have had several discussions with the Bahraini Government about their plans to implement reforms following the publication of the Bahrain Independent commission of Inquiry report in late November. This has included the need to reform the police and security forces. I have had no direct conversations about Mr Yates’ appointment, which has been independent of the UK Government.
	We welcome the steady progress the Government are making on implementing the Commission's recommendations, and welcome efforts to ensure that Bahrain's policing meets international standards and has at its centre a respect for human rights.

Diego Garcia: Aviation

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) owner/operator, (b) marks of nationality and registration, (c) flight number and date, (d) airport departed from, (e) destination, (f) number and names of crew and (g) number and names of passengers was of flights which landed on Diego Garcia between 6 and 12 March 2004.

Henry Bellingham: I will write to my hon. Friend about flights which landed on Diego Garcia between 6-12 March 2004 once full data has been assembled.

Festivals and Special Occasions: Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) embassies and (b) other posts held events to mark Burns Night 2012.

Jeremy Browne: Many of our posts overseas mark Burns night, whether by holding their own event, helping other charities and organisations with their events, or by our senior staff attending events held by local societies.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from his staff in (a) Israel and (b) Palestine on the health of Khader Adnan.

Alistair Burt: We receive regular reports from our embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem providing updates on the situation regarding Mr Khader Adnan.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 530W.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Israel on Khader Adnan.

Alistair Burt: The condition of Mr Khader Adnan Mohammed Musa, currently on hunger strike while held in administrative detention by the Israeli authorities, remains of concern to the UK.
	Our officials in Tel Aviv discussed the issue on 16 February with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing our concerns, as well as with the office of the Israeli National Security Adviser and the Israeli Prison Service. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law.
	The UK supports the position of the EU, as set out in the statement by the spokesperson of the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice president of the Commission, on 17 February 2012:
	“The high representative is following with great concern reports about the deteriorating health condition of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian held in administrative detention in Israel and who has been on hunger strike since mid-December.
	The high representative requests the Government of Israel to do all it can to preserve the health of Mr. Adnan in its continuing handling of this case.
	The high representative reiterates the EU's longstanding concern about the extensive use by Israel of administrative detention without formal charge. Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention and be subject to a fair trial.”
	The UK is working closely with EU partners to consider further action as appropriate.

Journalism

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had at the UN on the safety of journalists abroad.

Jeremy Browne: The UN plays an important role in promoting the safety of journalists. This Government fully supports their efforts as part of our wider commitment to supporting freedom of expression and engages with the UN's work wherever possible. A UK—inspired resolution in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inspired a meeting between UN agencies at UNESCO headquarters in September 2011 which produced a Draft Plan of Action for Agencies to improve the safety of journalists and combat impunity. This will be taken forward by UNESCO in March.

Journalism

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the deaths of journalists abroad.

Jeremy Browne: The safety of journalists is an important part of the ongoing human rights dialogue this Government have with our EU colleagues. Along with EU partners, we co-sponsor a resolution every two years at the UN General Assembly calling for better protection of human rights defenders, which often includes journalists. The last resolution was in November 2011. In support of EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, we regularly discuss with EU colleagues what action should be taken to ensure that violence against journalists is thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

New Zealand

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government is providing assistance to the government of New Zealand for the purposes of rebuilding in Christchurch following the earthquake in 2011.

Jeremy Browne: Following the devastating Christchurch Earthquake in 2011 the British Government provided immediate disaster assistance.
	We have no plans to give financial assistance directly to the Government of New Zealand for rebuilding Christchurch, and there has been no request from New Zealand for such assistance.

Nuclear Power: Trade Promotion

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was to his Department of participation in the January 2012 Civil Nuclear Export Showcase, organised by UK Trade and Investment; how many officials of his Department attended the event; what the outcome of the meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 559W.
	Two officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office participated in the UK Civil Nuclear Energy Showcase and there was no charge for their attendance.

HEALTH

Clinical Physiologists: Regulation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the (a) Registration Council of Clinical Physiologists and (b) Health Professions Council on statutory regulation for clinical physiologists.

Anne Milton: We have received no representations from the Health Professions Council, although we are aware that in 2003, under the previous Administration, they did recommend this group for statutory regulation. The Department has received a number of representations from the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists on this issue.
	There is an ongoing dialogue between the Registration Council of Clinical Physiologists and the Department about the case for statutory regulation of clinical physiologists, including how assured voluntary registration could provide a way to effectively assure appropriate standards of practice for this group.

Clinical Physiologists: Regulation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) risk assessment and (b) cost-benefit analysis his Department carried out when considering whether (i) clinical physiologists and (ii) public health consultants should be statutorily regulated.

Anne Milton: No formal risk assessment and cost benefit, analysis have been carried out by the Department in considering whether clinical physiologists and non-medical public health specialists would be statutorily regulated.
	The majority of public health specialists are already subject to statutory regulation by virtue of them being doctors or dentists. However, a small group come from a non-medical background and, therefore, are not subject to existing statutory regulation.
	The decision to regulate these non-medical public health specialists is about ensuring that the existing, regulatory system covers all the professionals it was intended to cover, closing a small anomaly that has developed over time. This will provide consistent standards at a time when this group are becoming increasingly important leaders in local communities.
	The Government do not consider a compelling case has yet been made for the statutory regulation of clinical physiologists: We are proposing to introduce a system of assured voluntary registration and we will assess whether this provides adequate assurance of the standards of practice for clinical physiologists.

E-mail

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to encourage the use of e-mail in preference to printed correspondence for communications between his Department and hon. Members.

Simon Burns: The Department will want to consider this issue in the light of the views of hon. and right hon. Members and having taken account of previous and existing experiments of the use of e-mail in preference to printed correspondence.

Health

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent comparative assessment he has made of health outcomes in the UK and other European countries.

Simon Burns: In September 2011, departmental officials produced a summary briefing paper on international comparisons of health care outcomes using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Health Organisation and the Commonwealth Fund. The international comparisons presented focused on broad measures of morbidity, mortality and patient experience as well as outcomes for specific medical conditions. This summary uses published data only.
	This paper has been placed in the Library.

Health: Regulation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence on potential risks to patient safety he took into account when taking the decision to regulate public health workers.

Anne Milton: The majority of public health consultants are already subject to statutory regulation by virtue of them being doctors or dentists. However, a small group come from a non-medical background and, therefore, are not subject to existing statutory regulation.
	The decision to regulate these non-medical public health specialists is about ensuring that the existing regulatory system covers all the professionals it was intended to cover, closing a small anomaly that has developed over time. This will provide consistent standards at a time when this group of specialists are becoming increasingly important leaders in local communities.

Hepatitis: Ethnic Groups

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take as part of his proposals for NHS reform to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C in South Asian communities.

Anne Milton: It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to take appropriate steps to ensure satisfactory access to diagnosis and treatment for all patients infected with hepatitis C, including in South Asian communities. In future, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for ensuring that services, including for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C, are commissioned to ensure consistency of high quality provision across the country and to address inequalities in access.
	The Department is currently grant-funding the Hepatitis C Trust to increase hepatitis C testing in partnership with local NHS organisations through community pharmacies and an outreach mobile information and testing service, including for South Asian communities.

Hospitals: Food

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of providing food per patient per day in (a) the NHS and (b) East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust in each year since 2004.

Simon Burns: The Department collects data from national health service trusts for the average total daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages fed to one patient per day. This cost relates to all meals and beverages provided to a patient in a day, not the cost of a single meal. The cost is inclusive of all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance.
	The data collected for the NHS and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust for each year from 2004-05 to 2010-11 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Average cost of feeding one patient per day in England Average cost of feeding one patient per day at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 2004-05 5.32 5.87 
			 2005-06 6.19 5.73 
			 2006-07 6.69 5.90 
			 2007-08 6.97 5.99 
			 2008-09 7.95 6.50 
			 2009-10 8.06 6.60 
			 2010-11 8.58 6.65 
		
	
	The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Incontinence

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the National Audit of Continence Care; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of adherence to (a) Clinical Guideline 40 on urinary incontinence in women and (b) Clinical Guideline 97 on lower urinary tract symptoms in men; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of (a) lower urinary tract symptoms and (b) incontinence.

Simon Burns: The National Audit of Continence Care was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of the Department as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). The audit published a series of reports between 2005 and 2010, the latest report covering incontinence in people over the age of 18 as well as older people. The Department provided additional funding in 2011, for the pilot of an audit tool that enables participants to enter their information on patient cases and get a real-time mini report on the care provided. Care providers can implement local changes based on the results and re-audit at a later date to see if there has been any changes in the quality of care provided.
	The Government are committed to extending the number of national clinical audits in NCAPOP to support clinicians across a much wider range of treatments and conditions.
	There are National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for both faecal and urinary incontinence, which are supported by commissioning tools to support primary care trusts.
	The NHS Operating Framework in England 2012-13 also ensures providers participation in relevant national clinical audits including continence. NICE clinical guidelines are based on a robust assessment of the available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. They represent best practice and should be taken into account by clinicians and commissioners in their decision-making.
	The Department has not made a recent estimate of the cost of lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence to the economy.
	However, the NHS Outcomes Framework, published in December 2010, has “Enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions” as one of its outcome domains, which is relevant to a number of conditions including living with incontinence.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) women, (b) men and (c) children are currently waiting for a kidney transplant in the UK; and how many such people are from black and minority ethnic groups.

Anne Milton: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number of people on the active transplant list for a kidney only transplant, as at 8 February 2012 , sex and ethnicity 
			  Ethnicity  
			 Sex White BME Not reported Total 
			 Male 2,675 1,077 17 3,769 
			 Female 1,815 837 10 2,662 
			 Not reported 2 4 0 6 
			 Total 4,492 1,918 27 6,437 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people on the active transplant list for a kidney only transplant, as at 8 February 2012 , ad ult/paediatric by ethnicity 
			  Ethnicity  
			  White BME Not reported Total 
			 Paediatric 58 27 1 86 
			 Adult 4,434 1,891 26 6,351 
			 Total 4,492 1,918 27 6,437 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish (a) average waiting times and (b) success rates for the individual kidney transplant units listed by NHS Blood and Transplant.

Anne Milton: The information has been placed in the Library of the House.

Locums: Costs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has put in place any requirement that payments made to cover the costs of locums must be spent only on locums.

Simon Burns: National health service trusts and foundation trusts are not provided with funding to meet the costs of paying for locums. Where they engage locums to cover absences within their workforce, they must meet the cost from within their own resources.
	For general practitioners (GP) contractors operating under the national general medical services (GMS) contract, the arrangements governing the reimbursement of locum costs by primary care trusts (PCTs) are set out in the GMS statement of financial entitlement (SFE).
	The SFE specifies a GP contractor can only claim for actual locum costs incurred after they have been incurred, and it is for the PCT to satisfy themselves on this point, and that the eligibility criteria have been met, prior to making any reimbursement payment.

Neurology

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of any regional variation in NHS provision of neurology services; and if he will prepare and publish an outcomes strategy for neurology and appoint a national clinical director to oversee it.

Paul Burstow: We have made no assessment of the extent of any regional variations in the provision of neurology services. However, we recognise that there are still unacceptable local variations in the provision of neurological services, as highlighted by the recent National Audit Office report. We will be responding to the recommendations arising from the report, and subsequent Public Accounts Committee hearing in due course.
	Responsibility for ensuring that locally commissioned services meet the needs of those living with neurological conditions is the responsibility of primary care trusts.
	There is no plan to produce an outcome strategy specifically for neurological conditions. However, the long-term conditions (LTC) outcomes strategy, which will include neurological conditions, will not only look at how to prevent long-term conditions but also at how to delay their onset, and mitigate their effects once people do develop them. The strategy will take a ‘whole life’ view- of people with LTCs, and set out what local government, the national health service, communities and individuals can do to improve outcomes for people living with LTCs.

Neurology

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on clinical networks for neurological conditions for (a) cancer and (b) stroke in the last 12 months; and whether he has any plans to develop additional NHS-funded neurology networks.

Paul Burstow: Information on departmental expenditure on clinical networks for neurological conditions, cancer and stroke is not collected centrally.
	It is proposed that, in the future, commissioners will be supported by clinical networks advising on single areas of care and new ‘clinical senates’ in each area of the country will provide multi-professional advice on local commissioning plans.

Neurology

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage collaborative commissioning for low-volume neurological conditions via the authorisation process for clinical commissioning groups.

Paul Burstow: The proposed reforms to commissioning, the greater focus on improving quality and joining services up more effectively, alongside a stronger collective voice for patients and the public will ensure the delivery of better, more seamless, services and improve patient and public experience.
	Commissioning by clinical commissioning groups does not mean that individual groups will have to commission every service. They can commission collaboratively across larger populations if that makes sense for them.
	Commissioners will be supported by clinical networks advising on single areas of care and new ‘clinical senates’ in each area of the country will provide multi-professional advice on local commissioning plans.
	Neurological Commissioning Support (NCS), which has developed, with the support of a number of neurological charities, has been well received by existing commissioners.
	NCS has produced a Quality Neurology audit and evaluation tool, which allows commissioners to receive a comprehensive evaluation of how an organisation fulfils all of the quality requirements specified in the NSF. They have also developed Neuronavigator, a tool to help commissioners to understand the complexity of support and services that need to be provided for people affected by a long-term neurological condition.

Palliative Care

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS budget for palliative care (a) was in the last five years and (b) will be in each of the next three years.

Paul Burstow: Local primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning and funding local services, including those for palliative care. The Department does not collect information about national health service expenditure on palliative care centrally.
	In 2010-11, the Department conducted a special exercise to monitor PCT spend on specialist palliative care, one aspect of palliative care services. This data, extrapolated to include those PCTs that did not reply to the survey, showed total investment in specialist palliative care of £410 million for all PCTs.

Palliative Care

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients with terminal illnesses received palliative care in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: This information is not available.
	We know that approximately 470,000 people die in England each year(1). Not all of these will need palliative care. The independent Palliative Care Funding Review (PCFR) estimated in its final report, published in July 2011, that around 355,000 people require palliative care each year and that round 92,000 people per year have an unmet palliative care need.
	The PCFR recognised that there is a paucity of data available on palliative care. The Department is working with the National End of Life Care Intelligence Network and through the work to take forward the PCFR to address this issue.
	(1) Source—Office for National Statistics

Prostate Cancer: Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer who relapse after hormone therapy and chemotherapy.

Paul Burstow: In 2008, the National institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published the clinical guideline “Prostate cancer: diagnosis and treatment”. This sets out recommendations on the tests, treatment, care and support that men who have suspected or diagnosed prostate cancer should be offered, including those men who have relapsed after treatment. To ensure that these recommendations continue to reflect the latest available evidence, NICE is currently updating this guideline.
	NICE is also currently appraising the use of abiraterone (Zytiga) for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen.

Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has carried out an evaluation of the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England published in 2002; if he will publish the findings of any such evaluation; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The suicide rate in England has fallen fairly steadily since 2002 and is currently at a historically low level. There have been reductions in the suicide rate among groups highlighted by the 2002 strategy, especially young men, teenagers and prisoners. There has also been a reduction in in-patient suicide.
	There is evidence of a strong link between the reform of safety aspects of mental health services and lower patient suicide rates. There is also evidence that suicide by overdose of co-proxamol has fallen since this drug was withdrawn from use.
	From 2007 to 2011 the National Institute for Health Research funded a multi-centre programme of clinical and public health research to improve the management of self-harm, reduce the incidence of suicide and provide reliable data to evaluate the impact of the 2002 National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. Details can be found on the programme's website at:
	www.epi.bris.ac.uk/suicide-prevention/
	In developing a new all age suicide prevention strategy for England, the Government have built on the successes of the earlier strategy. One of the main developments is the greater prominence of measures to support families—those who are worried that someone is at risk and those who are coping with the aftermath of a suicide.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support security and anti-terrorism capacity in (a) Nigeria, (b) Kenya and (c) other parts of Africa.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK will use 30% of its official development assistance to support conflict-affected and fragile states by 2014-15. We will help to build strong, legitimate security institutions and to improve citizen safety and access to justice. We contribute to UK counter-terrorism objectives overseas by addressing longer term factors that can allow terrorist threats to develop.
	In Nigeria we are strengthening early warning and conflict prevention systems to provide better police and justice services and help Nigeria respond to the evolving terrorist threat.
	In Kenya we are improving police management and performance standards and supporting the election of the new Inspector General. We have supported reform of the Criminal Investigations Department and on more effective Kenyan border control.

Developing Countries: Educational Visits

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the Global Schools Partnership.

Stephen O'Brien: The Global School Partnerships programme (GSP) will award final grants to schools in March 2012, but will continue to provide support and advice to schools that have been awarded grants until March 2013. The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to continuing support for school linking beyond the closure of GSP and is currently looking at how this can be done to ensure a high quality service to schools that also represents value for money for the UK taxpayer. DFID will be making further announcements about the continuation of school linking shortly and will ensure all schools partnered through GSP are fully informed about how this will impact on their partnership

Developing Countries: Employment

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the G20 Task Force on Employment.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development and the Department for Work and Pensions officials are in regular contact on the G20 agenda and development.
	The work of the G20 Task Force on Employment is at an early stage. It has been mandated to consider best policy and practice in meeting the challenges of youth employment, in order to feed into discussions of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers. The UK will be engaging to encourage the group to focus on concrete, value-added outcomes.

India

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on social protection programmes in India for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in each year since 2008; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of these programmes.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the Government of India's national and state level maternal and child health programmes, which include a range of social protection measures. Total UK support for these programmes each year since 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Spend (£ million) 
			 2008 73 
			 2009 68 
			 2010 88 
			 2011 73 
		
	
	These programmes are reviewed annually arid are achieving significant results on mother and infant mortality. In 2011, DFID's investments helped over 230,000 women to give birth safely in a health facility with skilled assistance.

Libya

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid he plans to provide to Libya in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; and for what purposes.

Alan Duncan: As the Deputy Prime Minister announced in August 2011, up to £20 million of the Arab Partnership Fund will be allocated for Libya over 2012-15. This will be used to support political reform and inclusive, poverty-reducing economic growth. The Arab Partnership Fund is co-funded by the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Some funding will-also be available from the Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool in 2012-13 to address Libya's stabilisation needs.

SCOTLAND

Independence Referendum: Voting Entitlements

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether Scottish and other UK voters registered in Kettering constituency and other parts of the UK outside Scotland will be entitled to vote in any future independence referendum in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The Government launched a consultation on how to facilitate a legal, fair and decisive referendum on 10 January 2012.
	Our consultation paper sets out the Government's view that the existing franchise for Scottish Parliament elections would be the most appropriate for a referendum on Scottish independence and seeks comments on this matter.

Under-occupancy Penalties

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of under-occupancy penalties on social tenants in Scotland.

David Mundell: Tenants in the social sector who live in a property that is too large for their needs can expect to face the same choices as those living in the private sector.
	However, the changes do not necessarily mean that people will have to move, but they will have to make the same choices about affordability as those who are not relying on benefit.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Automatic Assisted Area Status

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues to discuss representations to the EU on the retention of automatic assisted area status for Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: The future of the assisted area status for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), who has sought the views of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.
	I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues affecting Northern Ireland including the question of assisted area status. The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I have had a number of meetings with the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment at which this issue was discussed.

Departmental Billing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of his Department's invoices from its private sector suppliers were paid (a) within 14 days, (b) between 15 and 30 days, (c) between 31 and 60 days, (d) between 61 and 90 days and (e) more than 90 days after receipt in the last 12 months.

Owen Paterson: My Department, as a central Government Department, is required to publish its performance on the payment of supplier's invoices. It is not required to provide this information by sector and therefore cannot provide information specific to private sector suppliers.
	The published prompt payment statistics can be viewed on the Department's website at the following link:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/nio-publication/nio-pubs-search-results.htm?category=&keyword=payment&order=date

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the total value of contracts issued or to be issued by his Department in 2011-12 have required successful organisations to put up a capital bond; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: My Department has not issued, and has no plans to issue, contracts in 2011-12 which require successful organisations to put up a capital bond.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which contracts his Department has tendered or will tender in 2011-12 which require successful organisations to have a capital bond of more than £5 million; which contracts have not required such a bond; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: My Department has not tendered, and has no plans to tender, contracts in 2011-12 which require successful organisations to have a capital bond of more than £5 million. Contracts currently held do not include such a requirement.

Freedom of Information

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons his Department has not updated the recent releases section of its Freedom of Information webpage since March 2008.

Owen Paterson: I cannot answer for the period March 2008 to May 2010. The hon. Member should ask his own colleagues who were responsible for this period.
	My Department has undergone a significant programme of change following the devolution of policing and justice functions in April 2010. Plans are in place to ensure regular publication of information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. It is intended that this process will commence with effect from the 2012-13 financial year, on a quarterly basis.
	The NIO remains committed to fulfilling its statutory duties in relation to the Freedom of Information Act. During the period July to September 2011 (the latest period for which figures are published) 88% of all requests were responded to within 20 working days, rising to 96% with permitted extensions.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Civil Disorder

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to businesses on compensation for damage caused by riots.

Nick Herbert: Immediately following the August 2011 disturbances, guidance containing a series of measures to support individuals, businesses and communities affected by the riots was publicised on the Directgov website as well as on police authorities' websites. Guidance specifically for businesses was made available on the Business Link website. The Department for Communities and Local Government also issued guidance on Government compensation and support schemes on its website. In addition, in a written ministerial statement on 11 August 2011, Official Report,  columns 119-24WS, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), set out the help and advice that the Government could offer to affected businesses.

Identification Documents

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the options available to individuals who do not drive or wish to travel abroad to obtain identification documents.

Damian Green: The Government do not specifically issue documents for the purpose of supporting an identity claim. However, the driving licence and passport are commonly used as photographic identity in a variety of circumstances. For those people who do not have these documents there will be other ways of verifying identity. This can be through the use of registration on the electoral roll, employment and education history, life event certificates such as birth, adoption or marriage, together with evidence of interaction with Government agencies and financial institutions. The Government have no plans to introduce any documentation for the sole purpose of enabling an individual to verify his or her identity.

Immigration Controls: Olympic Games 2012

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects electronic border gates to be operational at all UK airports prior to the commencement of the London 2012 Olympics.

Damian Green: There are 63 ePassport gates located at nine airports (across 15 terminals) in the UK. These will continue to be available for the foreseeable future and I expect all those currently in place to be operational prior to the start of the Olympics. There are no plans to extend ePassport gates to all UK ports prior to the Olympics.

Olympic Games 2012

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have (a) Olympic team training camps and (b) Olympic venues within their areas.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 21 February 2012
	Arrangements for training camps for the 2012 Games are largely a matter between the visiting teams and the owners of the facilities concerned. The list of camps will therefore change over the coming months as further facilities are booked. A list of camps, current as of 23 January 2012, will be placed in the Library and can be found at:
	www.london2012.com/documents/venue-documents/pre-games-training-camps-agreements.pdf
	The following police forces have an official venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games based within their area: Dorset police, Essex police, Greater Manchester police, Hertfordshire police, Kent County Constabulary; Metropolitan Police Service, Northumbria police, South Wales police, Strathclyde police, Thames Valley police and West Midlands police. British Transport police have the national responsibility for the transport network.
	Most other forces are expected to have some cultural or celebratory events taking place in their local area. In addition, the Torch Relay is expected to pass through the whole of the UK.

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on security: London 2012 Olympics, whether the plans which have been put in place include integration of existing security systems, including those belonging to the Metropolitan police, local authorities and Transport for London with new Olympic security systems;
	(2)  who has final responsibility for (a) venue and (b) perimeter security for the London 2012 Olympics;
	(3)  whether the exercises will address potential security, civil order and crushing problems near to the London 2012 Olympic sites as well as within the venues themselves.

James Brokenshire: Safety and security arrangements for the London 2012 Games are based on the established model for securing large sporting and public events.
	The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are responsible for security at Games venues, including perimeter security, with the police and other agencies carrying forward their established roles for safety and security inside and outside venues, and in the wider community. All the parties involved in security attach the greatest importance to effective and comprehensive integration of systems. This has been a key focus of our assurance arrangements and on planning for areas around as well as within Olympic venues.
	Roles and responsibilities between the key delivery partners are set out in the published Olympic Safety and Security Strategy and supporting Concept of Operations. Our programme of multi-agency testing and exercising will continue to cover a full range of issues around venues, their immediate environment and London and the UK as a whole, including crowd management and natural hazards, as well as crime, disorder and terrorist threats.

Sham Marriages Task Force

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of UK Border Agency staff are working with the Church of England on the Sham Marriages Task Force.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency established Local immigration teams (LITs) to work with local partners, including the police, community leaders, local authorities and other agencies in the enforcement of our immigration laws. LITs work closely with the Church of England to provide advice and support and to investigate and disrupt suspected sham marriages.
	The work of each LIT reflects the needs of the individual communities that they serve and will vary depending on the location and facilities available. There are currently 48 LITs across the UK. The number of staff working with the Church of England on tackling sham marriage abuse changes in each LIT according to circumstances.

Terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has considered bringing forward legislative proposals to make it easier to charge potential terrorists in UK courts for offences committed abroad.

James Brokenshire: The Government's preferred approach to dealing with terrorists is to prosecute them or, in the case of foreign terrorists, to deport them. There are challenges in securing convictions of suspected overseas terrorist activity relating to the reliability and admissibility of evidence collected overseas. The police and prosecutors seek to overcome these challenges by, in particular, building relations with overseas partners. The UK's counter-terrorism legislation includes extra-territorial jurisdiction for key terrorism offences:
	The Terrorism Act 2000, which contains the bulk of the UK's terrorism offences provides, extra territorial jurisdiction for acts of UK citizens abroad (and acts against UK citizens abroad) for a number of specified bombing and terrorist finance offences.
	This was extended by the Crime (International Co-Operation) Act 2003 to further terrorist offences (weapons training, directing a terrorist organisation, possession, collection of information and inciting terrorism overseas) and various other offences with a terrorist connection (including murder, kidnapping, fraud and forgery).
	The terrorism offences relating to encouragement and training in the Terrorism Act 2006 also have extra territorial jurisdiction.
	As set out in the Government's published Counter-Terrorism Strategy (known as 'CONTEST'), improving terrorism prosecution rates further remains a priority.
	We have recently carried out a public consultation on changes to the relevant police code of practice to allow post-charge questioning powers to be commenced. These powers will provide an extra investigative tool to allow suspects to be questioned after charge about the same offence. We also continue to consider the possible use of intercept as evidence under the oversight of the cross-party Ad Hoc Group of Privy Counsellors.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Trade Agreements

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consideration he gave to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement as part of his Department's Communications Review Green Paper.

Edward Vaizey: The final Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) text has been reviewed by government lawyers and the European Commission Legal Services who confirm that ACTA will not create new intellectual property rights, laws or criminal offences in the UK or EU. Implementing ACTA will provide EU and UK industry and creators with better protection in overseas markets, through the creation of common enforcement standards and practices and more effective international cooperation. ACTA wilt not be included in the Communications Review Green Paper.

Olympic Games 2012

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 February 2012, Official Report, column 688W, on security resources at the Olympics, if he will clarify the work of his Department in integrating technological and human resources for the command, co-ordination and communication system for the Olympics; and what work is still to be undertaken.

Hugh Robertson: Government are one of five domains requiring effective command, coordination and communication (C3) at games-time, the others being games operations, safety and security, transport and city operations domains. The Department continues to work with these partners to integrate technological resources across domains so that all forms of classified information can be shared and exchanged in a timely manner. This will continue to be examined during the Olympics exercise programme.
	The London 2012 Senior ICT Leaders Group (SILG), chaired by Jeremy Beeton, the Olympic Senior Risk Owner, has been recently set up to provide overall responsibility for identifying and escalating risks, gaps and issues to London 2012 from ICT, technology and information security.
	Each domain is taking steps to train its staff for the games. In addition to providing practical experience through the Olympics exercise programme, the Department has developed and delivered an ongoing programme of training sessions to support this practical learning.
	We have also developed guidance for temporary changes to people policies for the period immediately before and during the games. This is to ensure that Government meet their operational commitments while continuing to meet their obligations towards maintaining employee welfare and engagement.

Olympic Games 2012: Tickets

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information the London 2012 Organising Committee has provided to him on the distribution of ticket prices for the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), a private company operating independent of Government. LOCOG keeps the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly updated on arrangements for the staging of the Games, including their ticketing strategy and overall plans for the distribution and pricing of tickets as published at:
	http://www.tickets.london2012.com/olyticketprice1.html
	LOCOG has confirmed that tickets at events are distributed roughly equally between price categories.

Olympic Games 2012: Tickets

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many London 2012 Olympics tickets have been sold for (a) the closing ceremony and (b) the 100 metres men's finals night; and at what prices.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), a private company operating independent of Government. Tickets for the Olympic Athletics session which includes the men's 100 metre final (as well as numerous other finals, semi-finals, quarter-finals and preliminary rounds in Athletics for both men women) are priced at £50; £125; £295; £420 and £725. Tickets for the Olympic closing ceremony are priced at £20.12; £150; £655; £995; and £1,500.
	75% of the around 11 million tickets for the Games are being made available to the UK public through the UK application process, but it has always been clear that the number sold for different sessions will vary and will be lower than this at some sessions including prime events. LOCOG still has up to four million tickets left to sell. Around one million Olympic tickets, 1.5 million Olympic football tickets and 1.5 million Paralympic tickets will go on sale from April.
	LOCOG will provide a comprehensive breakdown of tickets sold when it has a complete and accurate set of data and information, which will be when it has completed the final sales process.

Olympic Games 2012: Tickets

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of London 2012 Olympics athletics finals tickets (a) have been and (b) will be allocated to schools.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), a private company operating independent of Government. LOCOG is funding 175,000 tickets through its Ticketshare scheme for eligible schools and colleges that applied by 16 December 2011 to join the Get Set Network, part of the official London 2012 education programme. The 175,000 tickets will include events at both Olympic and Paralympic Games and cover all 26 Olympic sports, including athletics. The tickets are being donated at no charge to schools, parents or taxpayers. LOCOG is allocating these tickets now, and schools will be informed about the tickets they have been given (for accompanying adults as well as young people) next month.

Olympic Games 2012: Tickets

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many tickets for the London 2012 Olympics have been sold at over £2,012; and to how many purchasers.

Hugh Robertson: None. Ticketing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), a private company operating independent of Government. No single ticket has been sold at over £2,012. The most expensive tickets available through the UK application process are a small number of tickets for the Olympic opening ceremony at £2,012. Through higher-priced tickets like these, LOCOG has been able to sell 30% of Olympic tickets at £20 or less; and more than 50% of Paralympic tickets at £10 or less.
	LOCOG will provide a comprehensive breakdown of tickets sold when it has a complete and accurate set of data and information, which will be when it has completed the final sales process. LOCOG still has up to 4 million tickets left to sell from April—around 1 million Olympic tickets, 1.5 million Olympic football tickets and 1.5 million Paralympic tickets.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Crime

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) the Attorney-General and (b) others on prosecutions for animal welfare offences where evidence is obtained by undercover filming.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has not discussed such prosecutions with the Attorney-General or any other prosecutors.
	DEFRA no longer has a prosecution function. It transferred to the Crown Prosecution Service on 1 September 2011, as announced in Parliament on 12 July 2011.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many areas were designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty by Natural England in each of the last 10 years; and if she will list each site.

Richard Benyon: None. The existing English Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty were designated between 1956 and 1995.

EDUCATION

Children: Employment

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has considered bringing forward legislative proposals to bring the law on employment of children as models into line with the regulations for employing children as actors; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 20 February 2012
	The employment of children as models is covered by the same legislation as the employment of children as performers. It requires that the employer must first seek a licence from the local authority where the child lives. We intend to issue a consultation soon on proposals to revise this legislation to bring it up to date and ensure an appropriate framework is in place.

Departmental E-mail

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will confirm (a) by what medium and (b) on what date his Department received guidance from the Cabinet Office stating that private emails were exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Tim Loughton: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 6 February 2012, Official Report, column 63W.

GCSE

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children would have obtained five GCSEs at grade A* to C including English and mathematics if GCSE equivalents were given the weightings which he proposes to apply from 2015 in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested for the 2011 results forms part of the Equalities Impact Assessment conducted by the Department on the impact of its reforms to Key Stage 4 Performance Tables. It will be published on the DfE website in the spring, alongside the final version of the list of qualifications which will be included in the 2014 Key Stage 4 Performance Tables.
	We have no plans to produce this analysis for the 2007-10 results. To do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were eligible for the service pupil premium in each (a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) local authority area in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2012-13.

Sarah Teather: The pupil premium was introduced in England in April 2011 and allocations have so far been made for the 2011-12 financial year only. Pupil premium funding is provided in respect of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM), children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
	In England there were 45,070 pupils on the January 2011 school census recorded as service children who have received the service premium to date. Tables providing a breakdown of the service premium by region, local authority and parliamentary constituency have been placed in the House Libraries. The full breakdown of the pupil premium for 2011-12 can be found on the following website;
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/p/pupil%20premium%202011%2012%20national%20local%20 authority%20and%20parliamentary%20constituency%20tables.xls
	As with the pupil premium, the service premium allocations for 2012-13 will be based on pupil numbers as recorded in the January 2012 school census which are not yet available. The 2012-13 pupil premium has been estimated using pupil numbers from the January 2011 censuses. We do not therefore have any estimates on numbers of service children at regional, local authority or parliamentary constituency level. The 2012-13 pupil premium indicative allocation based on January 2011 numbers can be found on the following website;
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/p/pupil%20premium%202012-13%20national%20 local%20authority%20and%20parliamentary%20constituency %20tables.xls

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in South East Cornwall constituency have received funding from the pupil premium.

Sarah Teather: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and allocations have so far been made for the 2011-12 financial year only. Pupil premium funding is provided in respect of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM), children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
	In the South East Cornwall constituency there were 1,750 pupils on the January 2011 school censuses recorded as known to be eligible for FSM or recorded as service children who have received the pupil premium to date. The total number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in the South East Cornwall constituency may be higher, but it is not possible to identify the number of pupils in each parliamentary constituency
	recorded as being in care or recorded in the Alternative Provision census as, in both cases, the returns are provided at local authority level rather than at establishment level.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the schools in receipt of the pupil premium in South East Cornwall:
	
		
			 State-funded primary, secondary and special schools, and pupil referral units (1,2,3,4) : Allocation amounts for the deprivation pupil premium in 2011/12 (5,6) , South East Cornwall 
			 Deprivation pupil premium 
			 URN Estab School name (7) Allocation for the deprivation pupil premium 2011/12 (8) 
			 135394 1108 Carradon PRU (9)— 
			 111883 2404 Polruan Community Primary School 3,904 
			 111915 2508 Lanlivery Community Primary School (10)— 
			 111916 2509 Lostwithiel School 8,296 
			 111917 2510 Luxulyan School 2,440 
			 111950 2700 Callington Primary School 25,864 
			 111951 2701 Calstock Community Primary School 2,928 
			 111952 2703 Gunnislake Primary School 7,808 
			 111953 2704 Harrowbarrow School 5,856 
			 111954 2706 Landulph School 2,928 
			 111955 2707 Polperro Community Primary School 4,880 
			 111956 2708 Upton Cross Primary School 3,904 
			 111957 2710 Dobwalls Community Primary School 6,832 
		
	
	
		
			 111958 2711 Trewidland Community Primary School 2,928 
			 111959 2712 Looe Primary School 15,128 
			 111960 2713 Fourlanesend Community Primary School 5,856 
			 111961 2715 St Cleer Primary School 11,712 
			 111962 2716 Darite Primary School 2,440 
			 111963 2718 Pensilva Primary School 7,320 
			 111964 2719 St Neot Community Primary School (10)— 
			 111966 2723 St Stephens (Saltash) Community Primary School 23,424 
			 111968 2725 Torpoint Nursery and Infant School 22,448 
			 111969 2726 Carbeile Junior School 25,376 
			 111972 2730 Burraton Community Primary School 12,688 
			 111973 2731 Delaware Community Primary School 9,272 
			 111975 2736 Menheniot Primary School 9,272 
			 111976 2737 Pelynt School 2,440 
			 111982 2746 St Germans Primary School 4,880 
			 131248 2754 Brunei Primary and Nursery School 38,064 
			 112016 3714 St Winnow C of E School 3,904 
			 112022 3871 Antony Church of England School (10)— 
			 112023 3873 Braddock C of E Primary School 3,904 
			 112024 3675 Duloe C of E VA Junior and Infant School (10)— 
			 112025 3876 Sir Robert Geffery’s Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School 5,856 
			 112026 3878 Lerryn C of E Primary School (10)— 
			 112027 3879 Millbrook C of E VA Primary School 5,368 
			 112028 3681 Quethiock C of E VA School 3,416 
			 112029 3682 St Dominic C of E VA School (10)— 
			 112030 3684 St Mellion C of E VA School 4,392 
			 112031 3885 Trenode C of E School 2,440 
			 112032 3686 St Nicolas’ C of E VA School, Downderry 8,784 
			 112033 3887 St Martin's C of E VA School 32,696 
			 112034 3868 Bishop Cornish C of E VA Primary School 2,928 
			 129391 3896 Liskeard Hillfort Primary School 28,792 
			 112040 4143 saltash.net community school 53,192 
			 112041 4144 Torpoint Community College 43,920 
			 112046 4151 Callington Community College 51,728 
			 112061 4167 Liskeard School and Community College 70,272 
		
	
	
		
			 112062 4168 Looe Community School 25,376 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4) Includes maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools and non-maintained special schools. (5) It is not possible to determine the number of parliamentary constituency pupils recorded on the Alternative Provision census or recorded as looked after children as they are both local authority returns, and not an establishment level return. Therefore, this figure will be lower then the corresponding figure on the local authority table. (6) The number of service children are not provided at school level due to data protection issues. (7) The numbers are based on the location of the school and not where the schools are funded. (8) Each FSM eligible pupil will attract £438 through the pupil premium. For pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools funding will be passed to schools via the local authorities. Academies will receive funding from the YPLA. For pupils in maintained special schools and PRU's funding will be allocated to local authorities to decide whether to pass on funding to the education setting or to hold back funding to manage centrally for the benefit of those pupils it has responsibility for. (9) Allocations for these schools are not included as they are either a maintained special school or PRU. The premium for these establishments is held with the local authority (please see the conditions of grant). (10) Less than five pupils or a percentage based on less than five pupils or an allocation amount based on less than five pupils. Source: School Census

Teachers: Conditions of Employment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likely change in levels of health and safety risks arising from teachers working to the age of 68; and what changes he expects to be made to working practices as a result of teachers working to that age.

Nick Gibb: The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission (IPSPC) led by Lord Hutton addressed the consequences for public sector pensions arising from the fact that people are living longer, healthier lives. Evidence also shows that the number of people in work beyond the age of 65 is increasing, and the teaching profession is no different. The pension age for new teachers in the Teachers' Pension scheme is already 65 and following the implementation of the IPSPC's recommendations it will not rise to 68 until 2046. This increase in pension age is expected to reflect the long-term, gradual increase in healthy working lives and therefore the ability of teachers to carry on working to older ages than at present, without increasing health and safety risks or requiring changes to working practices.
	The proposals do not mean that teachers must go on teaching until their state pension age. There will continue to be a range of options that help teachers to plan ahead for their retirement and to retire early with access to their pension benefits, including any additional pension benefits they have built up during their career in anticipation of retiring early.

Teachers: Recruitment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of newly-qualified teachers entering maintained schools in each county in England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not available broken down by county.
	Information on the number of newly qualified entrants entering service in publicly funded schools for England in the last five years for which figures are available is published in table C1c of the School Workforce in England (including pupil:teacher ratios and pupil:adult ratios), January 2010 (Provisional), Statistical First Release. The publication is available at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00196422/school-workforce-in-england-2010
	2009-10 figures will be published on 23 February as an additional table in C1 of the 'School Workforce in England, November 2010 (Provisional)', Statistical First Release. The publication is available at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00196713/school-workforce-sfr

Third Sector

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to implement the principles of the Best Value Statutory Guidance in respect of (a) giving at least three months' notice to voluntary and community organisations and their service users when reducing or ending funding, (b) engaging with voluntary and community organisations and service users as early as possible before making a decision on the future of the service, any knock-on effects on assets used to provide this service and the wider impact on the local community and (c) making provision for voluntary and community organisations and service users to put forward options on how to reshape the service or project.

Sarah Teather: The Best Value Statutory Guidance is primarily aimed at local authorities, setting out clear expectations for councils who are considering changing funding to local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) groups and small businesses. However, the Department is committed to the principles in the renewed National Compact—the agreement which aims to ensure that Government and VCS organisations work effectively to achieve common goals and outcomes for the benefit of communities and citizens in England. Along with all other central Government Departments, we are also signed up to the fair standards set out at paragraph 5 of the Best Value Statutory Guidance.
	The Department is adhering to these principles when taking forward commissioning and procurement activities through the VCS. For example, our current Grant Funding Agreement was developed in discussion with national VCS representative bodies in early 2011 and includes a clause which ensures that we will give at least three months' notice to VCS organisations when reducing or ending their funding. We also consulted at an early stage with key national partners from across the VCS to inform and shape the timetable and approach to managing our National Prospectus grant competition (launched in November 2010). As a condition of our National Prospectus grant funding, we also stipulated that all VCS organisations develop robust exit plans which includes setting out clear arrangements to inform their service users about the implications of DfE funding ending in March 2013.
	We also established a new Strategic Partners Programme in April 2011 which provides a national platform for engaging with representative bodies of our major VCS organisations for children, young people and families, and the voice of service users is being captured through their day to day activities. Our Strategic Partners have been working closely with us to help build capacity and financial resilience across the VCS sector, enabling VCS organisations to become better equipped to compete for contracts to deliver public services. They have also played a major role in shaping the strategic priorities for the sector.
	Only activities of national significance are being funded centrally by the Department. VCS organisations were invited to bid for funding in order to address national priorities identified and as such were able to put forward their own ideas for shaping the service while ensuring the best use of limited public funds.

University Technical Colleges

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent progress he has made in establishing university technical colleges that specialise in environmental sustainability and sustainable construction, advanced manufacturing, low-carbon technologies and green energy.

Nick Gibb: The creation of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) provides a real opportunity for universities and employers to establish new schools specialising in technical education to meet economic and skills needs. In many cases, these include environmental sustainability and green energy among other areas which are important to economic growth both locally and nationally.
	For example, Daventry UTC which is currently in the pre-opening phase specialises in new technologies which includes environmental sustainability and sustainable construction. This is one of 17 UTC projects currently under development; we are committed to at least 24 UTCs being open before the end of the Parliament.

Young People's Learning Agency

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what objectives the Young People's Learning Agency has set relating to the promotion of gender equality.

Nick Gibb: In March 2011, the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) published its Single Equality scheme. That scheme included its four objectives for the period to 2012. Those objectives relate to the promotion of equality generally, including gender equality. The objectives are:
	Objective 1
	To recruit and retain an inclusive and diverse workforce which is appropriately developed to ensure each individual has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
	Objective 2
	To make data available on academies' performance to support awareness and to help academies improve their performance with regard to inclusion, equality and diversity.
	Objective 3
	To have in place comprehensive and transparent equality analysis (EA) arrangements, which are integral to the business cycle and the governance structure. This will be a key aspect of monitoring proposals to inform decision making and ensure that those making decisions are mindful of the impact on inclusion, equality and diversity.
	Objective 4
	To improve the analysis and availability of data on the nine protected groups and their inclusion within YPLA funded activities; and to support the identification of gaps and challenge performance.
	The publication can be found on the YPLA's website at the following link:
	http://readingroom.ypla.gov.uk/ypla/ypla-Single_Equality_Scheme-ps-Apr11-v2.pdf

Youth Clubs

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria his Department plans to use to determine the location of the youth centres under the Positive for Youth programme.

Tim Loughton: After the completion of the Myplace programme through which the Department is investing £240 million to develop 63 world class youth facilities in deprived neighbourhoods, there are no further plans for ring-fenced investment by central Government in facilities for young people.
	The Positive for Youth policy statement makes clear that in the context of local partnership, local authorities have strategic responsibility for co-ordinating the overall local offer to young people. It is for local people to decide which activities and services for young people to fund or deliver in response to local needs and priorities.

DEFENCE

Air Displays

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for RAF air shows in the UK in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

Nick Harvey: The programme for Royal Air Force air shows is decided on an annual basis.
	The following shows have been scheduled in 2012:
	RAF Cosford—17 June 2012
	RAF Waddington—30 June to 1 July 2012
	RAF Leuchars—15 September 2012
	The long-term future of RAF air shows in 2013 and beyond is under review and as yet no decisions have been made.

Armed Forces: Finance

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Report by Lord Levene on Defence Reform, when he expects the Service Chiefs to have responsibility for budgetary decisions.

Nick Harvey: The conclusions and recommendations of Lord Levene's Defence Reform report are being implemented on a rolling basis. We aim for the new operating model as a whole—and in particular the new capability and finance model, which will also be subject to agreement with HM Treasury—to be implemented from April 2013, including the transfer of responsibilities for equipment and support requirements setting and budgets to the Commands. Some functions and transfers are taking place in 2012. There is a significant amount of further design and implementation work to do between now and April 2013 (and beyond), and transition to these arrangements will be informed by testing of processes and information systems during FY 2012-13. Further adjustments to the model will be made beyond April 2013, including refinement of the new capability and finance model.

Armed Forces: Germany

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 230-1, on armed forces: Germany, what estimate he has made of the saving which will accrue to his Department annually on (a) allowances, (b) education and (c) medical support as a result of British troops returning to the UK from Germany.

Nick Harvey: Detailed work into the financial savings to be made from the move of personnel from Germany to the UK is still ongoing. Once the rebasing is complete the Department currently expects to make savings in the region of £79 million, £95 million and £46 million on allowances, education and medical support respectively.

Armed Forces: Press Subscriptions

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which newspapers his Department provides for service personnel overseas.

Peter Luff: The following newspapers are, wherever practicable, available free of charge for service personnel deployed on operations overseas and in receipt of the Deployed Welfare Package:
	Daily papers
	Daily Express
	Daily Mail
	Daily Mirror
	Daily Record
	Daily Star
	The Daily Telegraph
	The Guardian
	The Independent
	The Sun
	The Times
	Sunday papers
	Daily Star Sunday
	The Independent on Sunday
	The Mail on Sunday
	The Observer
	The People
	The Mail on Sunday
	Sunday Express
	The Sun on Sunday (from 26 February 2012)
	The Sunday Telegraph
	The Sunday Times
	Service personnel in non-operational areas overseas such as Germany and Cyprus will have access to NAAFI shops, which have a wide range of similar newspapers on sale.

Defence

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current procedure is to alert civil authorities to an incoming missile threat.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence would use its own and other nations' technical means to identify an incoming missile threat. The threat would be interpreted by the Space Operations Coordination Centre at Air Command who would produce a warning. The warning would be passed through normal communication channels to the Cabinet Office, who in turn would organise any cross-Government response.

Helicopters: Rescue Services

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times search and rescue helicopters from RAF bases in Scotland have been involved in operations to rescue individuals from the sea off the coast of Scotland in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The number of rescues from the sea off the coast of Scotland using helicopters based at RAF Lossiemouth in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Maritime Coast 
			 2007 39 33 
			 2008 50 31 
			 2009 26 25 
			 2010 14 23 
			 2011(1) 19 26 
			 (1) Up to 30 November 
		
	
	Maritime call-outs are those that occur more than three nautical miles from the coastline. Coastal figures include those incidents between the high tide line and a distance of three nautical miles from the coast and may occur in the sea, or on the land at the edge of the tide line. Maritime call-outs may occur several hundred miles out to sea and the information provided is for all call-outs at latitudes north of the border between England and Scotland.

Katrice Lee

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will allow the family of Katrice Lee access to the case notes to the investigation into her disappearance; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The investigation into Katrice Lee's disappearance remains open and disclosure of the case files, even to a family member, could have a prejudicial effect on the investigation or any subsequent trial. The Ministry of Defence also has a duty to protect an individual's personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 and disclosure of case documents could represent a breach of confidence where the information was provided for the purpose of a police investigation.
	The Royal Military Police are currently reviewing the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Katrice Lee. It is standard police procedure to periodically review significant, unsolved cases, particularly as new techniques become available, and the family are being kept informed of developments through dedicated Family Liaison Officers. This is a sensitive and distressing case, particularly for the close family, and I would like to assure the hon. Member that the Royal Military Police are doing all they can to ensure that it has been investigated fully.

Military Bases: Chelsfield

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 529W, on military bases: Chelsfield, what his Department's normal procedures are for marketing and advertising;
	(2)  how many organisations expressed an interest in purchasing the Chelsfield Ammunition Depot prior to its sale; and what their names are;
	(3)  what fee GVA Grimley levied for its services in the sale of the Chelsfield Ammunition Depot;
	(4)  how many officials of each grade were involved in the sale of the Chelsfield Ammunition Depot;
	(5)  for what reason clawback conditions were not included in the sale of the Chelsfield Ammunition Depot;

Peter Luff: Marketing and advertising is undertaken by the Ministry of Defence's agents GVA Grimley. Advertising is completed on a site by site basis and may include periodicals, journals, direct mailing and for sale boards.
	For Chelsfield, 70 companies expressed an interest in the site and were sent a sales pack. 10 companies eventually made a bid for the site. The names of those companies cannot be made available as they are commercial-in-confidence.
	GVA Grimley's fees were in accordance with their contracted rates, details of which are commercial in confidence.
	Fewer than 10 officials were involved in the sale of the site.
	Clawback is most beneficial where sites have significant development potential. At Chelsfield, this was not considered to be the case and as clawback can restrict the amount bid for a site upfront it was decided not to include conditions within the sale.

Nuclear Submarines

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing new facilities for the arming of nuclear submarines due to (a) a change in Government policy after a referendum in Scotland and (b)  a major incident which disables existing facilities;
	(2)  at how many sites nuclear submarines can be armed in addition to existing bases.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely cost of relocating the facilities and functions of the Royal Armaments Depot at Coulport to another part of the UK.

Peter Luff: holding answer 19 January 2012
	The Government are clear that Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and that the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. The Government are not making plans for independence as we are confident that the people of Scotland will continue to support the Union in any referendum.
	No detailed work has therefore been undertaken to estimate the cost of setting up new facilities for the arming of nuclear submarines or for relocating the Royal Armaments Naval Depot at Coulport to another part of the UK. It is clear from first principles, however, that the cost of relocating such families from Scotland would be extremely high.
	Information regarding the number of sites at which nuclear submarines can be armed, in addition to existing bases, is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.3.15, page 43 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, whether his estimate of the effect of feed-in tariff contract for difference on bills is an annual figure or the sum saved by 2030.

Charles Hendry: The estimate presented in paragraph 2.3.15, suggesting that by 2030 FiT packages could mitigate the impact of rising bills by 6% (around £40), is an annual average saving in 2030 (in real 2009 prices).
	Further details can be found in Table 33 of the accompanying impact assessment:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2180-emr-impact-assessment.pdf

Electricity

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to Figure 7, page 42 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what methodology was used for the comparison of the impact of possible decarbonisation mechanisms on the cost of capital for each technology.

Charles Hendry: The cost of capital effects given by figure 7 of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) White Paper were based on two sources of analysis:
	Quantitative analysis undertaken using a dynamic model of the GB electricity market, developed by Redpoint Energy, which simulates investment and generation behaviour. Sections 2 and 3 of the impact assessment (IA) accompanying the EMR White Paper provide further details on the model.
	Qualitative, analysis by Cambridge Economic Policy Associates (CEPA) on cost of capital effects. This was used to test the Redpoint figures, and to test a range of cost of capital figures in the model. The CEPA analysis, which was based on an alternative methodology taking into account the views of investors and how financing decision are made in the real world, led to results broadly consistent with the Redpoint figures. Further details of the analysis undertaken by CEPA and their approach is given in the CEPA Report that was published alongside the EMR IA.
	The EMR White Paper IA and the CEPA Report can be found at the following weblinks:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2180-emr-impact-assessment.pdf
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2174-cepa-paper.pdf

Electricity

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.3.15, page 43 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what methodology was used for the assessment of the effect of feed-in tariff contract for difference on energy bills by 2030.

Charles Hendry: The estimate of the impact of FiT packages on domestic bills presented in paragraph 2.3.15 (and in Table 33 of the accompanying impact assessment) was based on the difference between an estimated household electricity bill in 2030 in the absence of the EMR policy (but including all other policies, including the renewables obligation and carbon price floor) and an estimated household electricity bill in 2030 in the presence of this policy.
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2180-emr-impact-assessment.pdf

Fossil Fuels: Exploration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has undertaken an environmental impact assessment in relation to hydraulic fracturing.

Charles Hendry: It is for the relevant planning authority, in the first instance, to consider whether any planning application is for "EIA development" as defined in the Town and Country Planning (environmental impact assessment) Regulations 2011. If a screening opinion issued by the planning authority, or a screening direction made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, concludes that an application is for EIA development, the developer is required to provide an environmental statement as set out in these regulations. The Secretary of State has not issued any screening directions for hydraulic fracturing projects in relation to the requirement for an environmental impact assessment.

Green Deal

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in London he expects to participate in the Green Deal in each year of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: Initial economic impact assessment figures suggest that from 2013-22 average annual uptake of Green Deal could be around 360,000 nationally. However, these are early estimates that take no account of additional incentives, regulations and guidance that we are bringing forward ahead of the launch in quarter 4 of 2012. We are working with the Local Government Association and local authorities to address potential barriers to drive far more ambitious local delivery of the Green Deal. Although no detailed estimate has been made of Green Deal uptake in different UK regions, we anticipate London in particular offers significant potential. My officials have discussed relevant support for the scheme with the Greater London Authority who are already planning for delivery of the Green Deal across all the London boroughs. We expect to publish a higher, updated estimate later in the year.

Natural Gas: Prices

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the wholesale price of gas was in the UK in each of the last four months.

Charles Hendry: Monthly averages for UK wholesale prices (National Balancing Point) for the period October 2011 to January 2012 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average NBP price in pence/therm 
			 October 2011 56.0 
			 November 2011 58.1 
			 December 2011 56.0 
			 January 2012 54.4 
			 Source: Monthly average prices derived from ICIS Heren data

Solar Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the average proportion of the cost of a solar PV installation which is accounted for by (a) labour, (b) transport, (c) company overheads, (d) solar panels and accessories, (e) profit and (f) other costs.

Gregory Barker: Parsons Brinckerhoff carried out an update of solar PV costs for DECC in January 2012 which was published alongside the comprehensive review phase 2a consultation. This gives a breakdown of the components of solar PV capital costs for different sizes of installation. The report is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/4290-solar-pv-cost-update-report--3-feb-2012-.pdf

Solar Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of electricity exported to the Grid from solar PV installed on domestic dwellings since April 2010.

Gregory Barker: Data on the proportion of electricity exported to the grid are not available by technology and installation type. Based on the CEPA/Parsons Brinckerhoff update of solar PV cost assumptions published alongside the consultation on solar PV tariffs in October 2011:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3365-updates-to-fits-model-doc.pdf
	we currently assume that 50% of electricity generated by sub-4kW PV installations will be exported to the Grid, on the basis that daytime PV generation may exceed onsite demand on a regular basis. Assumptions around exported electricity will be reviewed as part of the current consultation on solar PV cost control:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Consultations/fits-review/4309-feedin-tariffs-scheme-phase-2a-consultation-paper.pdf

Solar Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many businesses were consulted as part of the preparation of his Department's document entitled Solar PV Cost Update, January 2012.

Gregory Barker: DECC commissioned Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to carry out an update to the CEPA/PB report on PV costs published alongside the October 2011 consultation on tariffs for solar PV:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3365-updates-to-fits-model-doc.pdf
	The data for this update came from 13 different industry contacts and seven other sources, and included 80 quotes from 11 UK installers covering the range of system sizes, informal data from industry contacts, data from developers and PB's own project experience. The report is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/4290-solar-pv-cost-update-report--3-feb-2012-.pdf

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for assistance under the Warm Homes discount scheme were (a) accepted and (b) rejected in 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount scheme requires participating energy suppliers to assist all of those pensioners identified to them by the Secretary of State as eligible for support as part of the Core Group as they receive pension credit guarantee credit only. This year we estimate that around 660,000 of the poorest pensioners will be helped in this way. Suppliers are also required to spend a set amount, £153 million this year, on providing assistance to a wider group of low income and vulnerable households beyond the Core Group.
	This year we estimate that around 2 million households will be assisted in total through the scheme. Ofgem will monitor suppliers' spending and ensure they comply with the requirements of the scheme.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax: Students

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition he plans to use for the term full-time course of education for the purposes of schedule 1, section 3 of the Council Tax (Discount Disregards) Order 1992.

Bob Neill: The term "full-time course of education" for the purposes of the Council Tax (Discount Disregards) Order 1992 (SI 1992/548) is defined in schedule 1, paragraph 4 of the Order. There are currently no plans to amend this definition.

Departmental Drinks

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on (a) wine, (b) other alcoholic refreshments and (c) bottled water since May 2010.

Bob Neill: holding answer 25 January 2012
	No bottled mineral water has been purchased since May 2010.
	Examining every receipt to ascertain spending by type of beverage would incur disproportionate cost.
	However, in relation to spending through our facilities management supplier, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 January 2011, Official Report, column 302W, which includes comparative figures for spending under the last Administration. There has been no further public spending on alcohol from then to January 2012.
	Details of departmental spending via Government Procurement Cards since 2006 can be found in the Library of the House, further to my answer of 12 January 2012, Official Report, columns 386-87W. The data illustrate that this Administration has significantly reduced spending on catering and hospitality.

Departmental Pay

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any officials in his Department or its non-departmental public bodies are paid other than through PAYE.

Bob Neill: holding answer 20 February 2012
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 483W.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many letters he has received from residents of (a) Barnsley, (b) Doncaster, (c) Rotherham and (d) Sheffield asking him to ensure that the local authority provides a weekly refuse collection service.

Bob Neill: My Department has received many letters from council tax payers across England asking Ministers to encourage more local authorities to offer weekly collections, including two letters from residents of Sheffield. Our Weekly Collection Support Scheme will help councils invest in better weekly collections deliver more cost-effective collection services, and improve environmental benefits. While we could not begin to quantify how many letters the residents of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield have sent directly to council leaders, I note that Counsellor Julie Dore the leader of Sheffield city council received around 600 from her residents.

Energy Performance Certificates

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011.

Andrew Stunell: Enforcement of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations is the responsibility of Local Weights and Measures Authorities. To make the regulations easier to enforce the Department has extended the current requirements to commission an Energy Performance Certificate before marketing, that apply to residential buildings, to all residential and non residential buildings when sold or rented out. The amendments will also require the Energy Performance Certificate to be attached to the written particulars of the building when sold or rented out.
	The duty to commission an Energy Performance Certificate before marketing has been extended to the sale and rent of residential and non residential buildings to make the regulations more consistent and coherent and to make it easier for Trading Standards Officers to detect non-compliance. An authorised officer of an enforcement authority, e.g. Trading Standards Officers, can issue penalty notices for non-compliance. Trading Standards Officers currently have the power to require the ‘relevant person’ (i.e. the seller or landlord) to produce copies of the Energy Performance Certificate for inspection and to take copies if necessary. The amended regulations have extended the power to require the production of documents to include persons acting on behalf of the seller or landlord—e.g. estate agents and letting agents. This means, for example, that Trading Standards Officers will be authorised to require estate agents to produce evidence showing that an Energy Performance Certificate has been commissioned where they are marketing a building without one.

Fire Services: Equipment

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received any representations from fire brigades on the availability of cutting gear through (a) ultra high strength low alloy steels and (b) boron advanced high strength steel; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: As the hon. Member will be aware the fire and rescue service is a devolved matter as such I can only respond to the hon. Member’s question in respect of English fire and rescue services.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has not received any representations from English fire and rescue services on the availability of specialist cutting equipment.

Fire Services: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) wholetime, (b) retained, (c) control and (d) non-uniform staff were employed in each fire authority in England on 31 March 2011; and if he will update his Department's Operational Statistics Bulletin of 24 August 2011 to include (i) posts and (ii) the strength of each fire authority. [R]

Bob Neill: Number of staff employed by each fire and rescue authority on 31 March 2011 for the stated categories are published on the Department's website in table 6 of the appendix tables which accompany the Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/frsoperationalstats2010-11
	Following the consultation carried out in winter 2010-11
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/frsandfosisummaryofresponses
	fire and rescue services are no longer asked to provide numbers of posts. There is no plan to reintroduce these.
	The Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin does however continue to include staffing strength. Number by fire and rescue authority can be found in appendix table 2 of the spreadsheets accompanying the bulletin.
	A copy of this staff number and strength information has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Incinerators: Planning Permission

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to empower local authorities to scrutinise the decisions of regional planning authorities on incinerator projects.

Bob Neill: Waste planning authorities are responsible for taking decisions on individual projects on incinerators which will generate less than 50 megawatts electricity. Planning legislation requires such decisions to be taken in line with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
	Regional strategies are part of the development plan. However, it is the Government's clear intention to lay Orders in Parliament, using powers that we have taken in the Localism Act, revoking the existing regional strategies as soon as possible but this is subject to the outcome of environmental assessments that we are undertaking. Regional strategies remain part of the development plan until they are abolished by Order.
	The intended revocation of regional strategies is a 'material consideration' which can be considered by local planning authorities and planning inspectors when deciding planning applications and appeals. The weight to be attached to it will be for the decision maker.

Local Authorities: Audits

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of any potential risks arising from local councils appointing their own auditors.

Bob Neill: holding answer 9 February 2012
	We set out our detailed proposals for a new local public audit framework in January. There will be robust arrangements to safeguard the independence of the appointment process, and once appointed auditors will operate within an equally robust regulatory framework. Local authorities will make appointments in full council following the advice of an Independent Auditor Appointment Panel, so the process will be transparent to local people.
	Our intention is that the National Audit Office and the Financial Reporting Council will take on regulatory responsibilities currently undertaken by the Audit Commission, helping to create a more transparent regulatory system broadly mirroring that in the private sector and to uphold high auditing standards. The Government plans to publish a draft bill later this spring for pre-legislative scrutiny, before introducing legislative proposals for consideration of the House.

Local Government Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will restore Council Tax Resource Equalisation to local authorities in areas of relatively higher deprivation.

Bob Neill: No. The relative ability of local authorities to raise resources (council tax) locally is taken into account in the distribution of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Local Government Finance Settlement was approved by the House on 8 February.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the contribution by the Minister for Housing and Local Government of 8 February 2012, Official Report, column 372, on local government finance, when he expects to announce arrangements for future grant funding for local authorities; if he will ensure local authorities are informed of his plans for the council tax base in 2013-14 before they take a decision on freezing council tax; for what reasons this information has not yet been provided; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Next steps on our proposals on local government finance for 2013-14 onwards were set out in the policy document on the local government resource review issued on 19 December 2011. As part of this work, we will look at a number of technical issues concerning how we set the baseline for the new system, with full consultation following, in the event of any propositions being put forward. One of the issues to be considered is the case for making any change to the shares of relative need and resource.
	Councils therefore cannot assume that they are necessarily increasing their spending power for future years by rejecting the freeze this year and instead increasing their council tax. Decisions on the final shape of the scheme will follow that consultation and will be announced in line with the usual settlement timetable.

Local Government Finance: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the change in funding to Hartlepool borough council has been as a consequence of his decision to reduce Council Tax Resource Equalisation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Bob Neill: We do not break down the reasons for change in a local authority's formula grant allocation year-on-year.
	In reducing the overall funding for formula grant in 2011-12 and 2012-13 we wanted to protect those local authorities that were most dependent on it. This was done by increasing the percentage of formula grant distributed through the relative needs amount, making a compensating reduction in the percentage distributed by the central allocation and keeping the same percentage distributed via the relative resource amount. This led to a reduction in the absolute amount being distributed via the relative resource amount.

Local Government: Employment Schemes

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the community budget pilot projects are working with the Work programme.

Bob Neill: All four Whole-Place Community Budget pilots are aiming to increase economic growth and reduce dependency on the state. Effective engagement with work programme providers will be important to the success of the pilots. In Greater Manchester, a senior member of a work programme provider will work full-time with the area to deliver the pilot.

Parish Councils

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely contribution of town and parish councils to efforts to encourage economic growth.

Bob Neill: My Department has made no such assessment. The activities of town and parish councils are one of the many local factors that can affect an area's economic growth, and we expect all such councils to support local enterprise, local firms and local jobs.

Supporting People Programme: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made in the change in the level of funding for the Supporting People programme in Hartlepool constituency per capita of (a) the population and (b) recipients in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13.

Andrew Stunell: Despite the need to tackle the deficit inherited from the last administration, the coalition Government have protected Supporting People funding and is providing £6.5 billion of funding over the spending review period. This equates to an average annual reduction of less than 1% in cash terms.
	Since Supporting People funding is included within formula grant, which is an un-hypothecated block grant, it is not possible to calculate the precise information requested by the hon. Member. I would add that the Supporting People ringfence was removed in April 2009.

Third Sector

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to implement the principles of the Best Value Statutory Guidance in respect of (a) giving at least three months' notice to voluntary and community organisations and their service users when reducing or ending funding, (b) engaging with voluntary and community organisations and service users as early as possible before making a decision on the future of the service, any knock-on effects on assets used to provide this service and the wider impact on the local community and (c) making provision for voluntary and community organisations and service users to put forward options on how to reshape the service or project.

Andrew Stunell: The Best Value guidance does not legally apply to central Government Departments or their executive agencies.
	However, as the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), made clear in his foreword to the revised Best Value guidance, central Government Departments support the fair standards set out in the guidance and have reaffirmed their commitment to the national Compact. The issues raised are covered by the Compact. In January the National Audit Office published ‘Central Government's implementation of the national Compact’, a report which provides commentary on the implementation of the national Compact across Government. DCLG participated fully in the National Audit Office's review of the national Compact implementation and will be following up as appropriate the recommendations within the National Audit Office report in order to ensure that the Department continues to be a strong model of collaborative working between Government and the voluntary sector.

Water: Planning Permission

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of making a water assessment a statutory part of the planning process for the purposes of ensuring that all relevant bodies such as internal drainage boards are consulted.

Bob Neill: holding answer 31 January 2012
	The Department has no plans at present to amend the statutory consultation arrangements for planning applications, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010, to require consultation with drainage boards and water utility companies on planning applications. This does not prevent drainage boards or utility companies from making a representation on a planning application.
	The Department has recently consulted on the consolidation of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations (2012). As part of this process, respondents had the opportunity to comment on the statutory consultation requirements for the local plan making process, and the issue of whether to include internal drainage boards was not raised as part of this process.

TREASURY

Corporation Tax

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether approval from the EU would be required for the rate of corporation tax in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the UK to be lowered to (i) 12.5 per cent, (ii) 16 per cent. and (iii) 20 per cent.

David Gauke: Approval from the EU would not be required to amend the rate of corporation tax in the UK as a whole.
	Approval from the EU would also not be required to alter the rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland. However, a reduction in the corporation tax rate in Northern Ireland would need to comply with the criteria set out in the ECJ judgment in the Azores case (Portugal v. Commission).

Moody's Investors Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions staff in his Department had with representatives of Moody's on 12 and 13 February 2012; who took part in any discussions; and what their purpose was.

Mark Hoban: As set out in existing European legislation (No 1060/2009 of 16 September 2009):
	‘The credit rating agency shall inform the rated entity at least 12 hours before publication of the credit rating and of the principal grounds on which the rating is based in order to give the entity an opportunity to draw attention of the credit rating agency to any factual errors.’
	All major rating agencies continue to assign the UK a triple-A rating.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints HM Revenue and Customs has received on its operations in respect of (a) delay, (b) staff conduct, (c) process or system, (d) policy or legislation, (e) communication, (f) incorrect advice, (g) loss or damage, (h) error, (i) compensation or costs claim and (j) discrimination in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HMRC categorises complaints when they are resolved, rather than when they are received.
	The numbers of complaints resolved under each of the headings are:
	
		
			 Heading 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Communication 13,384 10,026 10,632 
			 Compensation/costs claim 1,507 854 775 
			 Delay 16,882 21,558 22,185 
			 Discrimination 116 128 64 
			 Loss/damage 904 963 504 
			 Misleading advice 3,679 3,091 2,601 
			 Mistake/error 21,075 14,283 13,637 
			 Policy/legislation 4,350 3,384 2,807 
			 Process/system 19,524 15,979 20,120 
			 Staff conduct 3,121 2,880 3,113 
			 Total resolved complaints 84,542 73,146 76,438

Working Tax Credit: Eligibility

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in (a) Sheffield, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and (d) England will lose their entitlement to working families tax credit from 6 April 2012 due to the change in the minimum working hours criterion.

David Gauke: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of in-work couples with children benefiting from working tax credit and working between 16 and 23 hours as of December 2011 
			  Thousand 
			 Sheffield 2.2 
			 Yorkshire 5.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 20.5 
			 England 186.0

JUSTICE

Appeals: Employment Support Allowance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of employment support allowance appeals heard at the tribunal venue in Hull were successful in each month since June 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the proportion of employment and support allowance appeals cleared at hearing in the Hull venue which were found in favour of the appellant from June 2010 to October 2011 (the latest period for which statistics have been published).
	
		
			 Outcomes of ESA appeals at Hull venue June 2010 to October 2011 
			 Month Total cases cleared at hearing Number of decisions in favour of appellant Percentage in favour Number of DWP decisions upheld Percentage decision upheld 
			 June 2010 75 31 41 44 59 
		
	
	
		
			 July 2010 41 11 27 30 73 
			 August 2010 51 16 31 35 69 
			 September 2010 66 20 30 45 68 
			 October 2010 62 14 23 48 77 
			 November 2010 69 12 17 56 81 
			 December 2010 40 17 43 23 58 
			 January 2011 69 25 36 44 64 
			 February 2011 86 29 34 56 65 
			 March 2011 71 20 28 51 72 
			 April 2011 44 13 30 31 70 
			 May 2011 70 22 31 46 66 
			 June 2011 72 26 36 45 63 
			 July 2011 85 40 47 43 51 
			 August 2011 110 36 34 70 66 
			 September 2011 73 27 37 46 63 
			 October 2011 74 30 41 44 59 
			 Note: These data are taken from management information. The numbers and percentages of decisions in favour of the appellant and in favour of DWP do not necessarily add up to 100% or to the total number of cases cleared at hearing. This is due to cases withdrawn at hearing.

Compensation: Regulation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Minister in his Department is responsible for (a) regulation of claims management companies, (b) policy relating to regulation of claims management companies and (c) answering parliamentary questions in respect of claims management companies.

Kenneth Clarke: As the Secretary of State for Justice, I am responsible for the regulation of claims management companies. The Minister for Civil Justice Policy, my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon (Mr Djanogly), is responsible for policy relating to claims management companies. Responsibility for answering parliamentary questions will follow accordingly.

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people found guilty of (a) common assault, (b) battery, (c) assault occasioning actual bodily harm, (d) wounding causing grievous bodily harm and ( e ) grievous bodily harm with intent where the offence (i) was and (ii) was not racially aggravated received sentences of between 30 and 48 months in the last (A) year and (B) 10 years;
	(2)  how many people found guilty of (a) sexual activity with a child, (b) causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, (c) engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, (d) causing a child to watch a sexual act, (e) child sex offences committed by persons aged under 18 contrary to section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, (f) arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, (g) meeting a child following sexual grooming, (h) abuse of position of trust contrary to sections 16 to 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 or (i) sexual activity with a child family member contrary to sections 25 to 29 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, received sentences of between 30 and 48 months in the last (i) year for which figures are available and (ii) 10 years;
	(3)  how many people convicted of (a) unlawful sex with a minor, (b) rape and (c) grievous bodily harm received sentences of between 30 and 48 months in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The available information required to answer this question is currently being collated. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Custodial Treatment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have spent two or more periods in custody in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many convicted offenders entered custody in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Table 1 shows the number of offenders of all ages sentenced to two or more immediate custodial sentences in a year, for the years 2006 to 2010. The figures are for England and Wales, as recorded on the Police National Computer. The figures relate to separate sentencing occasions; where an offender was sentenced on the same occasion for several offences it is the primary offence that has been counted. Some offenders may be counted in table more than once in different years. Equivalent figures for 2011 are not yet available.
	The figures in Table 1 have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	Table 2 shows the number of offenders received into prison to serve an immediate custodial sentence in each year from 2005 to 2009, the most recent annual figures available. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Table 1: Offenders of all ages sentenced to two or more immediate custodial sentences in the year, 2006-10, England and Wales 
			  Number of offenders with two or more immediate custodial sentences on separate occasions 
			 2006 18,760 
		
	
	
		
			 2007 18,665 
			 2008 20,112 
			 2009 19,287 
			 2010 20,523 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Immediate custodial sentenced receptions into prison establishments 2005-09, England and Wales 
			  Number of sentenced prison receptions 
			 2005 90,414 
			 2006 88,134 
			 2007 90,261 
			 2008 98,820 
			 2009 93,621

Departmental Contracts

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the minimum company turnover required by his Department is for businesses seeking to secure contracts with his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice adhere to the Government Procurement Service (previously OGC) Supplier Financial Appraisal Guidance that is reproduced as follows:
	“Financial standing should only be considered as part of the risk assessment. It may not, on its own, reflect candidates’ ability to deliver. Although a contract limit based on turnover can be a useful indicator of financial capacity and dependency, candidates should only be eliminated on the strength of contract limit alone if they clearly have insufficient capacity to deliver the requirement The key objective of financial appraisal in the procurement process is to analyse a supplier's financial position and determine the level of risk that it would represent to the Authority—having regard to the contract requirement and value, criticality, and the nature of the market. The assessment of risk should be based on sound business judgement rather than just the mechanistic application of financial formulae”.

Legal Aid Scheme

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent from the public purse on criminal legal aid in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of each of the 20 highest legal aid payments made in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Spend on criminal legal aid in each of the last five years for which information is available is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Legal aid spending on crime 
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 l,171 
			 2007-08 1,179 
			 2008-9 l,187 
			 2009-10 1,207 
			 2010-11 l,165 
		
	
	The highest criminal legal aid payments to providers of legal aid are now published monthly as part of the Government's drive to increase transparency in public spending and include legal aid payments going back to May 2010. The 20 highest payments to criminal legal aid providers in 2010-11 are provided in the table.
	The 20 highest legal aid payments each year from 2006-07 to 2009-10 precedes the transparency publications and therefore it is not readily available. I will write once this information has been collated.
	
		
			 Legal Aid Supplier Payment (£) 
			 Dass Solicitors 455,521 
			 Kangs Solicitors 430,988 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 The Johnson Partnership 282,500 
			 EBR Attridge 268,536 
			 J D Spicer and Co 267,833 
			 Murria Solicitors 247,778 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 The Johnson Partnership 240,000 
			 Frisby and Co Solicitors 235,000 
			 Opus Law 206,820 
			 Dorians 202,873 
			 Irwin Mitchell LLP 201,156

Personal Injury: Fees and Charges

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the likely change in the number of jobs in the personal injury claims handling sector including management companies, solicitors, car repair, credit hire, insurance brokers and insurers which would result from ending referral fees in personal injury cases; and if he will estimate the (a) cost to the public purse of any reduction in the number of jobs, (b) change in the level of revenue from income tax and VAT and (c) change in the level of court fees which would arise.

Jonathan Djanogly: Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill contains provisions to ban the payment and receipt of referral fees in personal injury cases. An impact assessment was conducted in accordance with Her Majesty's Treasury Green Book guidance and published in October 2011. It is available on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/bills-acts/legal-aid-sentencing/referral-fees-ia.pdf
	It outlines that we do not expect there to be any cost to the public purse or net financial impact on Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service as a result of the ban on referral fees.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the costs to Police and Crime Commissioners of the commissioning responsibilities for victims services proposed in his Department's, Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses consultation;
	(2)  what funding he plans to provide to each Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver services for victims under the proposals in his Department's Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses consultation; and what funding he plans to provide to each of the proposed regional commissioning bodies;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the administrative cost of the regional level commissioning bodies for the delivery of victims services proposed in his Department's, Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses consultation.

Crispin Blunt: As the consultation is still ongoing we are yet to finalise arrangements to move to local commissioning of victims' services. We anticipate raising further monies on top of the current £66 million spent on victim and witnesses. This will be raised through increasing and extending the Victim Surcharge, and increasing the amounts of penalty notices for disorder and fixed penalty notices which can then be used to fund victims' services. The consultation states that we will ensure that no more than 10% of the total funding provided to commissioners goes on the administrative costs of commissioning services.

Prison Sentences

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs) who had completed their minimum tariff were not released because they had not completed sufficient courses in each year since the inception of IPPs.

Crispin Blunt: The stated reasons for the Parole Board not directing the release of prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) are not recorded centrally but are held on prisoners’ individual case file.
	There are currently over 3,500 prisoners serving an IPP sentence who have completed their minimum tariff. In order to answer the question fully, we would have to search each of their case files to establish the Parole Board's reasons for not directing release. This would breach cost limits.
	When determining whether to release an IPP or other indeterminate sentence prisoner, the Parole Board will consider all the evidence available—not just evidence obtained from the completion of any accredited programmes.

Prisoners: Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) prisoner education and (b) future employment of prisoners of reductions in (i) funding for prisons and (ii) the number of prison officers;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on re-offending rates of reductions in the level of prisoner education and training.

Crispin Blunt: The Government undertook a review of offender learning and published ‘Making Prison Work: Skills for Rehabilitation’ jointly with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in May 2011. The report set out a radical new approach to the both the funding and organisation of offender learning in England and Wales. This Government's prioritisation of rehabilitation has meant a high relative priority for offender learning and there is no reduction in the overall level of funding for learning and skills in custody.
	The retendering of the provision for learning and skills for offenders under OLASS phase 4 involves a changed funding methodology. Unlike OLASS phase 3, where payment was made against teaching hours delivered, under OLASS 4 there has been an assessment of the needs of individual prisons based on their populations. Funding is being aligned with that of mainstream colleges whereby, rather than offering payment based on the number of learning hours delivered, payment will be awarded based on the outcomes achieved by learners.
	The OLASS provision between prisons may well change as a result of the revised method of funding. Providers are being encouraged to involve a wider range of partners to include the private sector, the voluntary sector and social enterprises in order that their capacity and expertise can assist in achieving better outcomes.
	In relation to employment, NOMS is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to implement enhanced employment support for prisoners via the day one mandation to the Work programme. From 1 March 2012 all prisoners who intend to claim job seekers allowance (JSA) on release will be mandated to engage with a DWP Work programme provider from day one of release to support them gain and sustain employment.
	NOMS does not have targets for future prison officer reductions. It is the responsibility of each prison to agree with their deputy director of custody how future efficiencies are delivered from each grade or role.

Prisons: Foreign Nationals

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 287W, on prisons: foreign nationals, when he proposes that a decision will be made on when prisons will be converted; and what discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association on this matter.

Crispin Blunt: My answer given on 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 287W, confirmed our intention to open more foreign national only prisons. Since that date HMP Huntercombe has been identified as the most suitable establishment for this purpose.
	On 9 February the change of function of HMP Huntercombe to a foreign national only prison was announced and work is now under way to progress the transition. The Prison Officers Association were notified of the change at a national level and the Governor of HMP Huntercombe has discussed the transition locally with branch officials.

Repossession Orders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many homes were repossessed in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders being made for the repossession of property by mortgage lenders and landlords in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the total numbers of repossessions of property (including where keys are handed back voluntarily)
	These figures represent the numbers of claims leading to orders being made. This is more accurate than the number of orders, removing the double-counting of instances where a single claim leads to more than one order. It is also a more meaningful measure of the number of homeowners who are subject to court repossession actions.
	These figures do not indicate how many properties have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Also, not all possession orders result in repossession. Many orders are suspended and if the borrower or tenant complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order the property will not be repossessed.
	Claims leading to orders figures for all regions and local authority areas in England and Wales in 2011 were recently published on 9 February 2012. This statistical bulletin is available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/civil-justice/mortgage-possession.htm
	
		
			 Number of mortgage (1)  and landlord (2, 3)  possession claims leading to orders made (4, 5, 6)  for properties in Haltemprice and Howden constituency (7,8) , East Riding of Yorkshire (7)  and Yorkshire and the Humber (7) , 2007-11 
			  Mortgage possession Landlord possession 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Haltemprice and Howden constituency 85 115 70 65 (9)75 40 45 30 40 (9)45 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 465 565 365 320 (9)370 300 310 240 255 (9)295 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9,145 11,770 7,905 6,600 (9)6,500 8,730 8,250 7,160 6,780 (9)7,240 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) Includes all types of landlord whether social or private. (3) Landlord actions include those made under both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence for shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. (4) The number of claims that lead to an order includes all claims in which the first order, whether outright or suspended, is made during the period. (5) The court, following a judicial decision, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (6) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (7) All figures are rounded to the nearest 5. (8) Data up until the first quarter of 2010 (January to March) will reflect Haltemprice and Howden constituency boundaries as fixed at the 2005 general election and for the rest of 2010 and 2011 the re-fixed boundaries as of May 2010. (9) Based on provisional data. Source: Ministry of Justice

Television: Licensing

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were prosecuted for offences relating to not having a television licence in Leeds North West constituency in each of the last six years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for the offence of television licence evasion under the Communications Act 2003, in the West Yorkshire police force area in each year from 2005 to 2010 (latest currently available) is given in the following table.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in May 2012.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for television licence Evasion (1,2) , West Yorkshire police force area, 2005 to 2010 (3,4) 
			  Number 
			 2005 5,333 
			 2006 5,293 
			 2007 5,928 
			 2008 6,572 
			 2009 7,621 
			 2010 8,429 
			 (1 )For 2005 to 2007 as well as television licence evasion, these data include proceedings for summary offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967. (2) For 2008 to 2010 these figures relate to the offence television licence evasion—Communications Act 2003. (3) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Victims' Commissioner: Manpower

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff worked in the office of the Victims' Commissioner in each month since May 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Excluding the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses herself, there were 8.8 FTE staff working in the Victims Commissioner's office from May 2010 to when the Commissioner left office in October 2011, except for January 2011 to April 2011 when there were 7.8 FTE staff.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of previous convictions for failing to comply with a sex offenders register for an individual convicted of an offence of failing to comply with a sex offenders register without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many offences they had committed in total at the point of sentence for this offence.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the highest number of previous convictions for failing to comply with notification requirements (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003) for individuals convicted of this offence in the years 2008 to 2010 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows their total number of previous cautions and convictions, and previous immediate custodial sentences. Although these individuals did not go to prison for their index offence, they had all previously been to prison for the same offence. The offender in 2008 has been offending for over 10 years; the offenders in 2009 and 2010 both have criminal histories spanning 30 years.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	All sexual offenders subject to the notification requirements fair to be managed in accordance with the statutory Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Under MAPPA, the Police, Probation and Prison Services are required to work together to assess and manage the risks presented by sexual (and violent) offenders, in order to protect the public.
	The Government recognise the damage caused by sexual violence. This is why we have improved the provision of support for victims by putting voluntary sector rape support centres on a secure financial footing for the first time, with 65 centres around the country receiving grant funding of nearly £3 million a year for this and the next two years. We are also working in partnership with the sector to develop new rape support centres where there are gaps in provision, with four new centres opened to date.
	Highest number of previous convictions for failing to comply with notification requirements (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), for someone convicted of this offence without being sent to prison, in England and Wales in the years 2008 to 2010
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Number of previous convictions for failing to comply with notification requirements 6 12 10 
			 Number of previous cautions and convictions for any offence at time of conviction 44 26 22 
			 Number of previous immediate custodial sentences for any offence at time of conviction 12 15 14

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, column 1082W, on Atos Healthcare, what the specific capacity pressures which meant the initiative could not continue were; and what assessment he has made of whether such capacity pressures affect the ability of Atos to fulfil its contractual obligations.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The specific capacity pressures which meant the initiative could not continue relate to the need to deploy health care professional resource towards providing face to face assessments. It is worthy of note that the telephone advice service is working well. The overall aim of the telephone service is to assist DWP decision makers to clarify areas within reports and to help interpret further medical evidence submitted by claimants; and
	(b) The capacity pressures are affecting some claimants' journeys in the work capability assessments (WCA) process, but Atos and DWP have an action plan in place to address current performance related issues with the aim that Atos may fulfil its contractual obligations.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2012, Official Report, column 164, on work capability assessment, whether he has considered imposing financial penalties on Atos to reflect the number of work capability assessments which are overturned on appeal.

Chris Grayling: The Appeal Tribunals consider all the available evidence afresh, as well as any additional evidence that has since been submitted by the customer which may not have been available to either the Examining Healthcare Professional or originally to the Department for Work and Pensions Decision Maker. Consequently, when a Tribunal overturns a decision it is not necessarily due to a lack in the validity or accuracy of the examination report used in the decision making process. Therefore it would not be appropriate to impose financial penalties on Atos to reflect the number of work capability assessments which are overturned on appeal.

Atos Healthcare

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what practice Atos personnel use to assess benefit claimants who are under the supervision of more than one medical consultant.

Chris Grayling: A decision on benefit entitlement is made by a departmental decision-maker after consideration of all the available information, including any evidence provided by a claimant's GP or consultant. There are procedures in place to request medical evidence from a range of clinicians if necessary which may include contacting them by telephone if it is not returned.
	Additionally, the ESA50 self assessment questionnaire gives the claimant the opportunity to explain the effects of their condition or conditions. This includes the opportunity to provide details of those they feel can best explain their condition, including the clinician or clinicians who are treating them.
	As recommended by Professor Malcolm Harrington in his independent reviews of the work capability assessment (WCA), Jobcentre Plus is focusing on improving the quality of decision making and the reconsideration process. As part of the reconsideration process, where a disallowance of benefit is being considered, claimants are given a further opportunity to provide any additional evidence that may assist their claim.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent changes have been made to the opening hours of each Atos assessment centre undertaking work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: There are over 120 permanent assessment centres and while there are minor variations in opening times between centres, they are generally open during core office hours—9 am until 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Where there is a business need the centres are open on Saturdays or Sundays and sometimes in the weekday evenings. Atos Healthcare and the Department have been reviewing the opening times for all centres to determine the optimum usage of the accommodation to allow additional assessments to be carried out. Longer opening times are already in operation at a significant number of locations, particularly the larger assessment centres.
	Over the next six months the number of centres that will be open outside of the core office hours will increase further to ensure more claimants awaiting assessment are seen as quickly as possible.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessments Atos have undertaken in the homes of employment and support allowance applicants in each month from April 2010 to January 2012.

Chris Grayling: The number of assessments by domiciliary visit undertaken by Atos Healthcare for employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants for the period April 2010 to August 2011 is 10,182; the following table lists the detail by month:
	
		
			 Date ESA 
			 2010  
			 April 576 
			 May 525 
			 June 574 
			 July 485 
			 August 510 
			 September 783 
			 October 646 
			 November 728 
			 December 468 
			 Total 5,295 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 509 
			 February 574 
			 March 832 
			 April 689 
			 May 556 
			 June 600 
			 July 495 
			 August 632 
			 Total 4,887 
		
	
	The data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collated for internal departmental use only. The data supplied have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard and are subject to change. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the key performance indicators Atos Healthcare is required to meet under the contract with his Department (a) as set out in the original contract and (b) with any revisions, additions or deletions subsequently made.

Chris Grayling: KPIs are negotiated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). DWP is constantly reviewing the KPIs and since the award of Atos Healthcare contract there have been a significant number of reviews, so it is with regret that information requested is not available in the format requested.
	The answer including the reviews could not be provided as it exceeds the disproportionate cost limit of £800 for parliamentary questions.

Atos Healthcare

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the LIMA software used by Atos was modified as a result of the update to Medical Services guidance for work capacity assessments Standard 43/2011 in respect of Activity 7.

Chris Grayling: LIMA software used by Atos Healthcare has been modified, all medical content as a result of the update to Medical Services guidance for work capacity assessments (WCA) has been updated to Standard 43/201T in respect of Activity 7.

Business: Government Assistance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the likely level of take-up by businesses of the job subsidies announced in the autumn statement.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract is a national package of measures and the take up by businesses of the wage incentives will depend on the level of need and demand in different locations. Nationally, up to 160,000 wage incentives will be available across the years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission dealt with a complaint from an (a) parent with care or (b) non-resident parent made through their hon. Member in 2010-11.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many cases the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission dealt with a complaint from an (a) parent with care or(b) non-resident parent made through their hon. Member in 2010-11.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission received 23,200 complaints in 2010/2011 with 8,500 of them received via a Member of Parliament.
	The following table shows, of the total complaints received during 2010/2011, how many were made on behalf of the parent with care or the non-resident parent.
	
		
			 Complainant Total complaints received 2010-11 
			 Parent with care 11,700 
			 Non-resident parent 11,000 
			 Not a client 500 
			 Total 23,200 
		
	
	Unfortunately complaint information is not recorded in a way that allows us to distinguish the number of complaints from a parent with care or non-resident parent that is made via a Member of Parliament.

Child Support Agency

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement powers available to the Child Support Agency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement powers available to the Child Support Agency.
	The Child Support Agency already has a wide range of enforcement powers for the purposes of securing child maintenance from non-resident parents, who would otherwise fail to pay. Money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's earnings if the non-resident parent is employed, money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's bank or building society account, or action can be taken through the courts.
	The most serious forms of enforcement are commitment to prison or disqualification from driving. The decision whether to implement, and the length of the order, is at the discretion of a Magistrates’ Court (or Sheriff in Scotland) where they are satisfied that a non-resident parent has "wilfully refused or culpably neglected" to pay child maintenance - but this is not a criminal sanction.
	We will continue to review the success in the exercise of these enforcement powers, and the Government may opt to introduce further measures contained in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (subject to a public consultation where appropriate) if it is deemed in the public interest to do so.

Child Support Agency

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the number of liability orders applied for by the Child Support Agency has dropped from 28,360 in 2008-09 to 19,365 in 2010-11 and 13,520 in the year to date.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the number of liability orders applied for by the Child Support Agency has dropped from 28,360 in 2008-09 to 19,365 in 2010-11 and 13,52.0 in the year to date.
	The Child Support Agency continues to, work towards delivering a better and more efficient service for our clients. This includes taking a case based intelligence approach at the start of the enforcement process to ensure that cases move to the most appropriate part of the process sooner and more efficiently. This approach ensures that we can determine the most appropriate enforcement action for each case from the full range of enforcement powers available to the Child Support Agency.
	This approach has reduced the volume of Liability Order applications, however, during the eight month period from April 2011 to November 2011 the Child Support Agency has applied for 2,310 Charging Orders compared to 2,480 for the 12 months ending March 2009 and cases considered for Order for Sale have gone up from 105 in 2008-09 to 405 in 2010-11 and 370 in the year to date.
	Over the period to which you have referred, the number of non-resident parents paying the amounts of child maintenance for which they are liable increased from 593,500 to 683,600, which equates to a percentage increase of 15 per cent. You will also be interested to know that over this same period an extra 133,000 children benefited from child maintenance.

Child Support Agency

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the number of deduction from earnings order (DEO) requests by the Child Support Agency has declined from 74,500 in 2007 to 63,060 for the same period in 2010-11 and to 45,500 for the period between April and November 2011; and for what reasons money received from DEOs has reduced from £312 million in 2008-09 to £192 million in the year to date.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the number of deduction from earnings order (DEO) requests by the Child Support Agency has declined from 74,500 in 2007 to 63,060 for the same period in 2010-11 and to 45,500 for the period between April and November 2011; and for what reasons money received from DEOs has reduced from £312 million in 2008-09 to £192 million in the year to date.
	First, it may be helpful if I clarify the actual figures for the periods to which you have referred in your letter. The figure 74,500 is for fiscal year 2007-08 and there were actually 40,760 DEOs between April and November 2011.
	The number of DEOs the Child Support Agency made is decreasing, due to an increase in the number of non-resident parents paying the amounts of child maintenance they are liable for. This added to the willingness of non-resident parents to make payments of child maintenance by the Commission's preferred methods of collection, for example by direct debit further reduces the need to issue DEOs.
	During the period to which you refer the use of direct debit by non-resident parents has increased from 69,900 in 2007-08 to 100,800 in 2010-11 and to 106,900 in the year to date. Overall the amount of child maintenance collected or arranged has increased from £1,010.0 million in 2007-08 to £1,150.2 million in 2010-11 and in the year to November 2011 £787.1 million. You will also be interested to know that over this same period an extra 133,000 children benefited from child maintenance.

Child Support Agency

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what savings his Department has achieved by the reduction in intake of Child Support Agency (CSA) cases since abolition in October 2008 of a compulsion to use the CSA by parents with care on benefit.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what savings his Department has achieved by the reduction in intake of Child Support Agency (CSA) cases since abolition in October 2008 of a compulsion to use the CSA by parents with care on benefit.
	Applications received from Jobcentre Plus ceased from October 2008 following the repeal of Section 6, the legal requirement which previously compelled parents with care on income related benefits to use the services of the Child Support Agency.
	Following the repeal of Section 6, applications made to the Child Support Agency reduced. In the quarter ending September 2008 54,500 new applications were made compared to 27,300 new applications in the quarter ending December 2011. Information on application intake and clearance is published on p14 of the December 2011 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics available at the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/pdf/qss/QSS_dec_2011.pdf
	It is not possible to directly ascribe reductions in cost and headcount to the reduction in applications after September 2008. However, the average number of full time equivalent people employed by the Commission has decreased from 9,571 in 2008/09 to 8,251 in 2010/11, against a backdrop of a range of policy changes and efficiency measures.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual administration costs of the statutory maintenance service.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual administration costs of the statutory maintenance service.
	Until the new scheme of child maintenance is established, the Child Support Agency division of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (the Commission) will continue to operate the two existing statutory maintenance schemes. As stated in the Commission's latest Annual Report and Accounts the cost of delivering the two statutory schemes was £450m for 2010/11.
	Whilst the Child Support Agency has maintained performance over the past year, the problems with the two existing Child Support Agency schemes, particularly those relating to the current IT system introduced in 2003, are well documented. Consequently, we propose to move to a new scheme, replacing the two current schemes and using income data from HM Revenue and Customs tax records, supported by a new IT system. The new scheme will support more efficient and effective administration of child maintenance for those parents who cannot reach their own family-based arrangements.

Departmental Manpower

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 436W, on departmental manpower, if he will provide a breakdown of his Department's staff reductions by area of activity.

Chris Grayling: As stated in the answer of 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 436W, on departmental manpower, departmental headcount had reduced by around 7,000 full-time equivalents since the beginning of the spending review in April 2011 to the end of October 2011.
	Over the period, there has been a reduction of c6,000 in operational areas which represents around 7% of the operational total, and c1,000 in the corporate and shared service functions which represents just under 8% of the corporate total.

Departmental Manpower

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what change in departmental headcount he plans for (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13;
	(2)  what change in Jobcentre Plus headcount he plans for 2011-12.

Chris Grayling: The departmental work force plan shows an overall headcount reduction of around 7,500 full-time equivalents in 2011-12. Plans for 2012-13 are currently under review to take account of the staffing requirement to deliver the new Youth Contract and additional workloads.
	Following a major restructure and streamlining of the Department, Jobcentre Plus is now part of a single operations organisation responsible for all services to the public. Separate plans for Jobcentre Plus are no longer available and headcount relating to activity previously undertaken within Jobcentre Plus are part of the plans set out above.
	Actual staffing at the end of the year is forecast to be below plan due to staff turnover and staff leaving at the end of fixed term appointments. A programme of recruitment activity in operational areas is currently being undertaken to address this shortfall. Recruitment of additional staff is scrutinised to ensure it is essential for the delivery of the Department's business.

Departmental Recruitment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment services and (b) executive search agencies in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has successfully reduced expenditure on recruitment and executive search agencies since May 2010. This is in line with our stated aims to reduce discretionary spend and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer.
	Spend for the 12 month period from May 2010 to April 2011 was 62% lower than in the same period the previous year. This trend continues with spend between May to December 2011 79% less than in the equivalent period in 2009.
	DWP spend on recruitment services and executive search agencies each month since May 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Recruitment services Executive  s earch  a gencies Total monthly spend 
			 May 2009 3,527,649 89,934 3,617,583 
		
	
	
		
			 June 2009 4,853,834 449,393 5,303,227 
			 July 2009 3,448,707 598,712 4,047,420 
			 August 2009 3,739,623 119,462 3,859,085 
			 September 2009 4,179,955 1,480,026 5,659,980 
			 October 2009 5,028,292 1,014,362 6,042,654 
			 November 2009 5,674,305 761,002 6,435,307 
			 December 2009 5,166,368 213,157 5,379,525 
			 January 2010 4,142,150 187,946 4,330,095 
			 February 2010 4,358,930 428,554 4,787,484 
			 March 2010 5,643,759 627,286 6,271,045 
			 April 2010 4,248,306 117,842 4,366,148 
			 Total May 2009 to April 2010   60,099,553 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			  Recruitment services Executive  s earch  a gencies Total monthly s pend 
			 May 2010 3,639,975 97,059 3,737,034 
			 June 2010 3,264,766 19,657 3,284,423 
			 July 2010 2,231,481 22,641 2,254,122 
			 August 2010 2,500,520 19,545 2,520,065 
			 September 2010 1,625,597 0 1,625,597 
			 October 2010 1,935,264 10,233 1,945,497 
			 November 2010 1,435,601 0 1,435,601 
			 December 2010 1,324,777 0 1,324,777 
			 January 2011 1,080,457 19,812 1,100,269 
			 February 2011 1,262,240 0 1,262,240 
			 March 2011 1,295,978 1,625 1,297,603 
			 April 2011 965,223 13,888 979,111 
			 Total May 2010 to April 2011   22,766,340 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			  Recruitment  s ervices Executive  s earch  a gencies Total monthly spend 
			 May 2011 1,320,242 0 1,320,242 
			 June 2011 1,447,594 -13,424 1,434,170 
			 July 2011 1,288,332 19,703 1,308,035 
			 August 2011 952,385 47,153 999,538 
			 September 2011 1,019,882 10,000 1,029,882 
			 October 2011 616,063 6,945 623,008 
			 November 2011 1,118,232 16,277 1,134,509 
			 December 2011 816,450 217 816,667 
			 Total May 2011 to December 2011   8,666,051 
		
	
	Recruitment services includes recruitment of interim managers and specialist contractors who are paid through the recruitment company. Spend figures for recruitment services therefore include fees paid to the contractors.

Departmental Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many away days his Department has held since May 2010; what the location was of each such away day; how many staff attended; and what the cost was of each such event.

Chris Grayling: We are unable to provide the information requested regarding the number of away days, location and numbers of staff attending and the cost for each event as we do not routinely collate data at this level of detail. In addition we do not record any information against a category of ‘away days’ as staff can be away from their office for a whole variety of reasons including staff development and training.
	All areas of discretionary spend are scrutinised to drive down costs. This has resulted in a significant reduction in all areas of discretionary spend over the last few years, which in turn, has delivered better value to the tax payer.
	All expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury Handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 31WS, on cost of ministerial cars, whether his Department has any other arrangements for ministerial travel; and how much his Department has spent on (a) private hire vehicles and (b) taxis for each Minister since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: As set out in the Ministerial Code, Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
	To ensure value for money for the taxpayer, the number of ministerial cars has been reduced to one from the six that were in use when the new ministerial team arrived in May 2010.
	In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless the alternatives have been examined and exhausted. Where travel is deemed appropriate, users are encouraged to use of the most cost-effective modes of transport.
	The total ministerial spend on taxi and private hire vehicles (including ministerial cars) for the period May 2010 to April 2011 was £219,000, compared to expenditure of £608,000 for the comparable period from May 2009. This equates to a 64% reduction on the previous year's spend. The expenditure for May 2011 to December 2011 was £114,000.

Employment

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the match between jobseekers' skills and skills requirement for job vacancies for the North East of England.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus is working closely with both colleges and other training providers in the North East to develop training that links to the skills demands of the local labour market. By using labour marker intelligence, growth sectors have been identified enabling JCP to work with local training organisations to develop bespoke pathways that enable employers to fill their vacancies.
	Sector-based work academies are being established in sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies. These offer pre-employment training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview, tailored to meet sector and local needs. As a locally-driven initiative the geographical distribution and number of sector-based work academies will depend on the appetite of employers, training providers and claimants across the Jobcentre Plus districts. Sectors covered so far have included construction, care, aviation security, retail and hospitality.

Employment and Support Allowance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process a claim for employment and support allowance is in Newcastle upon Tyne East constituency; and what comparative assessment he has made of this figure and those of neighbouring areas in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested for employment and support allowance (ESA) is not available at parliamentary constituency level and would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain the information requested.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of fraud resulting from the time taken between the commencement of the Work programme and the readiness of its supporting IT system.

Chris Grayling: Due to the complexity of the changes required, full IT support for the Work programme payment process will not be available until the end of March 2012. It was therefore necessary to implement a payment process for the 'interim period' (for claims made between September 2011 and March 2012). During this period providers are being paid monthly based on reported outcome claims.
	We judge that the risk of incurring any additional cost to the public purse as a result of fraud during this interim period is low. Providers have contractual obligation not to claim fraudulently and to make checks against errors. They are also contractually obliged to repay any overpayments.
	All claims made between September 2011 and March 2012 will be subject to the full validation process and any payments that have been made for claims that fail the validation process will be recovered.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the financial value to charities and third sector organisations of the Youth Contract;
	(2)  how many placements under the Youth Contract he expects to be provided by charities; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what planning assumptions about the level of Youth Contract placements provided by charities his Department has made; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract will, from April 2012, provide nearly half-a-million new opportunities for young people over the next three years.
	Charities and third sector organisations have an important role in the delivery of a number of the elements of the Youth Contract. For example, they will be able to receive a wage incentive for hiring eligible young people, offer apprenticeships which will benefit from more employer incentive payments and offer places to young jobseekers participating in the Work Experience programme. No estimate or planning assumptions have been made of the value to charities and third sector organisations of the Youth Contract or the number of young people who will benefit from opportunities with these organisations.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the differences are between the Youth Contract and the Future Jobs Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Future Jobs Fund was expensive and provided temporary, short term posts, mainly in the public and voluntary sectors. Nearly 50% of participants were claiming benefits eight months after starting funded employment.
	The Youth Contract is a package of support aimed at helping young unemployed people prepare for work and find long-term sustainable employment. It will do this by providing a mix of additional Jobcentre Plus support; more work experience and sector based work academy places; wage incentives for employers who employ young people through the Work programme; extra incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices; and a new programme in England to help the most vulnerable 16 to 17-year-olds not in employment, education or training.

Employment: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the off-flow rate was for people aged 16 to 24 from benefit into work in each month since January 2011 for (a) those undertaking work experience and (b) those who did not.

Chris Grayling: The available statistics on work experience participants were published on 9 November 2011. These showed that 51% of those who started on the programme in January to March 2011 were not in receipt of benefit 13 weeks later.

Higher Education: Retirement

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to providing guidance to university academics on the interpretation of the Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011.

Steve Webb: It's wrong that people should be made to retire at an arbitrary age—that is why the Government have phased out the default retirement age. We believe that employers should assess the performance of their staff fairly, whatever an employee's age.
	It is possible for employers to set a retirement age where they think this can be objectively justified. We have provided generic ACAS advice for employers which addresses this issue, but it is complex, and we would advise any employer considering retaining a compulsory retirement age to seek legal advice. Our supporting Age Positive Guidance highlights the experience of the many employers who report business benefits from managing their work force without fixed retirement ages. They are able to apply the same management procedures to all their workers and value the skills and experience that workers of all ages, including older workers can bring to the business.
	We have worked with a range of sector lead organisations, including 11 education employer organisations—including the Universities and Colleges Employers Association and the HE Equality Challenge Unit—to support them in producing their own guidance and case studies in managing older worker performance and retirement without the need for compulsory retirement ages.

Housing Benefit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the transfer of housing benefit staff from local authorities to his Department as part of implementation of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Work is under way to design and deliver the IT and processes that will underpin universal credit, and part of the work includes looking at the design and structure of the organisation to deliver universal credit. It is too early at this stage of the programme to detail the exact resource requirements for universal credit.

Housing Benefit: Offenders

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential saving if ex-offenders were not exempted from the extension of the housing benefit shared accommodation rate to single housing benefit claimants aged under 35 in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14, (d) 2014-15 and (e) 2015-16.

Steve Webb: This exemption is estimated to apply to up to 2,000 ex-offenders aged between 25 and 35. The saving in housing benefit expenditure if these claimants were not exempted is estimated at £5 million per year from 2012-13 onwards.

Housing Benefit: Temporary Accommodation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in temporary accommodation that would be affected by the benefit cap if it were currently in force.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.
	The household benefit cap is not currently in force, and the Department has made no estimate of the number of capped households in temporary accommodation in the present financial year.

Housing Benefit: Temporary Accommodation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting all households in temporary accommodation from the benefit cap.

Chris Grayling: The Department has no plan to exempt households from the household benefit cap on grounds of being housed in temporary accommodation.
	To exempt households in temporary accommodation would reduce the projected savings by around £30 million, when compared to the savings set out in the impact assessment published on 23 January. The figures in this impact assessment are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.

International Pension Centre

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many staff are employed by the International Pension Centre (a) in the UK and (b) overseas;
	(2)  how many International Pension Service officers there were at UK embassies and high commissions in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the operating costs were of the International Pension Centre (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: International Pension Centre currently employs 641 staff in the UK.
	International Pension Centre do not directly employ anybody overseas, but have access to 13 locally engaged pensions officers, employed through Foreign and Commonwealth Office, based at UK embassies and high commissions in the following countries:
	
		
			 Country Number of pensions officers 
			 Bangladesh 2 
			 India 3 
			 Pakistan 2 
			 Spain 5 
			 Yemen 1 
			 Total 13 
		
	
	International Pension Centre had access to pensions officers in each of the last five years as follows:
	
		
			 Country 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Bangladesh 3 3 3 3 2 
			 India 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Pakistan 3 3 3 3 2 
			 Spain 4 6 5 6 5 
			 Yemen 3 3 2 1 1 
			 Total 16 18 16 16 13 
			 Note: Figures presented as at 31 December. 
		
	
	For 2010-11, the total operating costs of International Pension Centre were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 UK 16,827,140 
			 Overseas 661,503

International Pension Centre

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensions applications were processed by the International Pension Centre in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: Please find in the following table the figures requested for IPC SP claims processed for the last five complete years:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006-07 76,691 
			 2007-08 75,760 
			 2008-09 71,234 
			 2009-10 87,210 
			 2010-11 77,058

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 3 January 2012 with regard to Ms R Benson.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), wrote to the right hon. Member on 11 February 2012. I apologise for the delay in replying.

National Insurance: Pensions

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the number of National Insurance-based pensions recipients based overseas was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The number of contribution based state pension recipients living abroad is 1,173,440, as at May 2011.
	Notes:
	1. 'Abroad' is classified as not ordinarily resident in GB.
	2. This caseload figure is rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. This information is published on our website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Source:
	DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

New Deal Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to conclude negotiations to finalise termination payments to flexible new deal providers.

Chris Grayling: Of the 14 providers which held flexible new deal phase 1 contracts, DWP has negotiated settlements agreed with 12 to date. DWP aims to complete remaining negotiations by April 2012.

Personal Independence Payment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the Minister for Employment of 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 291WH, whether people undergoing assessment to determine their eligibility for the personal independence payment will have the right to have the session recorded by audio means.

Chris Grayling: As part of the Government’s response to the recommendations contained within Professor Harrington's first independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA), a pilot was conducted to test the concept of recording assessments to determine whether such an approach is helpful for claimants and improves the quality of assessments.
	The evaluation of that pilot showed that less than half of people wanted their sessions recorded and only a tiny number sought a copy of their recording. This evaluation has been considered by the Department and Ministers have decided not to implement universal recording for claimants going through the WCA.
	The Department has asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for audio recording where possible, for the purposes of employment and support allowance, when a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take up during 2012.
	No decision has yet been taken on whether to record face-to-face consultations carried out for personal independence payment when it is introduced from 2013-14. We want to learn from the experiences of employment and support allowance to ensure that our processes are based on best practice. The Department is currently in the early stages of tendering for a framework of providers to deliver future health and disability assessments. A competition among framework providers for the PIP assessment will commence subsequently, with a view to having providers in place by summer 2012.

Social Security Benefits

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the number of bereavement benefit recipients based overseas was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Under UK national legislation, these benefits are payable anywhere in the world; however claimants at the time of the claim need to be based in the United Kingdom (UK) or another European Union (EU) country, countries in the European economic area (EEA) or countries with which the UK has reciprocal social security agreements.
	The National Statistics datasets contain information on the number of ongoing claims for bereavement allowance and widowed parent's allowance. This information is available on Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website through the Tabulation Tool:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	The total bereavement benefits caseload in the most recent period for which figures are available, May 2011, was 64.77 thousand; of this the number for claimants living abroad/unknown in the same period was 2.86 thousand.

Social Security Benefits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in benefits to people domiciled outside the UK in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Benefit expenditure for people domiciled outside the UK, 2006 - 07  to  2010 - 11 
			 £ million, nominal 
			  2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Attendance allowance 1 1 2 3 3 
			 Bereavement benefits 24 23 23 23 18 
			 Carers allowance — 1 — — 1 
			 Disability living allowance 8 12 9 10 11 
			 Employment and support allowance — — — — 1 
			 Incapacity benefit 46 48 48 46 41 
			 Jobseeker's allowance — — — 1 1 
			 State pension 2,173 2,364 2,551 2,766 2,915 
			 Winter fuel payments 8 9 14 15 16 
			 Total 2,260 2,458 2,647 2,864 3,007 
			       
			 Total DWP benefit expenditure 118,705 125,476 134,912 147,098 152,362 
			       
			 Proportion outside the UK (percentage) 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 
			 Notes: 1. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data. 2. Figures may not sum exactly due to rounding. 3. Figures may include a very small amount of expenditure where the claimant's residence is not known. 4. Benefit expenditure data, including overseas figures, can be found on the DWP website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit sanctions were (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since April 2011.

Chris Grayling: Information on the number of benefit sanctions (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since April 2011 for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA), and income support (IS) is provided in the following tables.
	The number of benefit sanctions issued has been interpreted to mean the total number of cases that have been referred to a decision maker for a sanction decision. Information relating to the number of such cases is only available for jobseeker's allowance.
	The number of sanctions imposed has been interpreted to mean the number of those cases where an adverse decision has been given. This information is available for JSA, IS and ESA.
	Jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
	The following table shows the latest published information number of referrals made and the number of sanctions imposed by month since April 2011:
	
		
			 Month Number of referrals (fixed and variable) Number of sanctions (fixed and variable) 
			 April 2011 93,930 43,290 
			 May 2011 90,350 39,360 
			 June 2011 86,080 40,520 
			 July 2011 78,270 38,600 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database 
		
	
	Employment and support allowance (ESA)
	The following table shows the latest published information of ESA WRAG sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed since April 2011:
	
		
			 Month sanction was imposed Number of sanctions 
			 April 2011 610 
			 May 2011 720 
			 June 2011 770 
			 July 2011 810 
			 August 2011 890 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP ESA WRAG sanctions database 
		
	
	Income support (IS)
	The following table shows the latest published information on the number of IS lone parent sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed since April 2011:
	
		
			 Month of sanction Number of sanctions imposed 
			 April 2011 4,430 
			 May 2011 5,890 
			 June 2011 5,320 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Income Support Lone Parent Regime database

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total monetary value was of benefits withheld under sanctions in each of the last 24 months.

Chris Grayling: The Department collects reliable information on how many sanctions have been imposed. However, to answer the question the Department also needs to be able to calculate the amount and duration of each individual sanction as well as hardship payments awarded following a sanction. Data on sanction amount, duration and hardship payments is of varying quality and it would be at disproportionate cost to develop a robust estimate.

Unemployment: Young People

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to (a) tackle unemployment among and (b) introduce mentoring schemes for young black people.

Chris Grayling: The Get Britain Working measures provide flexible, tailored support to all eligible unemployed job seekers according to their needs, irrespective of ethnicity.
	On 25 November, we announced plans to introduce a new Youth Contract in 2012 which includes a range of additional help for unemployed young people. This builds on the support already available through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme. The Youth Contract will incorporate wage incentives for employers who recruit an 18 to 24-year-old from the Work programme; work experience or sector-based work academy places for every 18 to 24 -ear-old who wants one, before they enter the Work programme; incentive payments for employers to take on young people as apprentices; and extra support through Jobcentre Plus for all 18 to 24-year-olds, providing extra advisor time to provide more back to work support.
	For unemployed people aged 18 and over who want to start their own business we have introduced the new enterprise allowance (NEA). It is available to people who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for six months or more, before they are required to enter the Work programme, and includes access to business mentoring during the development of their business idea and through the early months of trading.
	Jobcentre Plus advisers can also signpost customers to other sources of advice and support on starting a business, such as the online support available through the ‘My New Business’ page of the Business Link website or access to business mentors through the MentorsMe website.

Universal Credit: Mortgages

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in receipt of support for mortgage interest or its equivalent under universal credit who would be affected by the benefit cap.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Work Capability Assessments: Audio Recordings

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the Minister for Employment of 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 291WH, whether people undertaking a work capability assessment in their home will have the right to an audio recording of the session.

Chris Grayling: Audio recording of a work capability assessment is currently only available in an Atos assessment centre.

Work Capability Assessments: Audio Recordings

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State in his Department of 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH, 
	(1)  whether he plans to update (a) his Department's website, (b) relevant parts of the DirectGov website, (c) the ESA 50 questionnaire and (d) other literature issued by his Department to advise people undergoing work capability assessments of their right to an audio recording of their session;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to advising people undergoing a work capability assessment in writing in advance of their session of their right to an audio recording of that session;
	(3)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that every person undergoing a work capability assessment is made aware in advance of their right to an audio recording of their session.

Chris Grayling: As the 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH states, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the work capability assessment. We trialled an approach of offering audio recording to claimants (as recommended by Professor Harrington) but found that less than half of people wanted their sessions recorded and only a tiny number sought a copy of their recording. As a result, we have asked Atos Healthcare to try and accommodate requests for audio recording where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take up during 2012.

Work Capability Assessments: Audio Recordings

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State in his Department of 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH, in what format people whose work capability assessment is audio-recorded will receive a copy of that recording.

Chris Grayling: On completion of the work capability assessment being audio-recorded, the claimant will be given the audio recording of their assessment on a CD in a protective sleeve.

Work Experience Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people came off benefits and entered into work as a result of the work experience programme in each month since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: Between January 2011 and the end of November 2011 (the latest date for which figures are available) 34,200 claimants undertook a work experience placement. Analysis published on 9 November 2011 showed that 51% of those who started on the programme in January to March 2011 were not in receipt of benefit 13 weeks later.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the recommendation by Liz Sayce in her report entitled, Getting in, staying in and getting on, submitted to his Department in June 2011, that its monitoring of the Work programme should include publication of key performance information, in deciding a breakdown by impairment type, qualification level and length of time out of work; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Official statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme will be published from 21 February and quarterly thereafter.
	These statistics will include a summary of the primary health condition of employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit participants. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10(th) Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. Medical condition is based on evidence provided and this in itself does not confer entitlement to employment support allowance/incapacity benefit.
	Statistics will also include the number of participants on ail benefits that have a recorded disability as part of the official statistics release. Disability is self-assessed as having a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
	Official statistics on job outcomes and sustainment payments will be published from autumn 2012. The exact details of what will be published on job outcomes in the autumn has still to be finalised. However it is likely that these statistics will also contain breakdowns by health condition and disability indicator.
	The evaluation of the Work programme will begin reporting from 2012, with qualitative feedback on participants' experiences of provision becoming available in the summer. The evaluation will explore the outcomes and experiences of different claimants, including those with health conditions or disabilities. Very early indications of the impact of the programme on claimant outcomes will become available by late 2013/early 2014.
	The evaluation design is ongoing, and the Sayce Review recommendations are being considered as part of this.

Work Programme: New Enterprise Allowance

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to change his policy that users of the Work programme are unable to transfer to the new enterprise allowance.

Chris Grayling: There are no plans to make the new enterprise allowance available to people on the Work programme. We believe that Work programme providers are best placed to design back to work support and have allowed them the freedom to do so. This includes providing support and advice on self employment.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department issues guidance to local authorities on consulting bus companies prior to the relocation of bus stops.

Norman Baker: Decisions on placement of bus stops are a matter for the local highway authority. The Department provides general guidance on bus stop provision in Local Transport Note 1/97: Keeping Buses Moving. This advises that consultation on siting of bus stops should take place between bus operators, traffic authorities and the police, together with frontagers and bus user groups where appropriate.
	Keeping Buses Moving is available on the Department for Transport website at:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/local-transport-notes/ltn-1-97.pdf

Bus Services: Concessions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will estimate the likely annual cost to the Exchequer of introducing universal free concessionary bus travel for all (a) 16 to 25, (b) 16 to 23 and (c) 16 to 21 year olds in England;
	(2)  if she will estimate the likely annual cost to the Exchequer of introducing universal free concessionary bus travel for all 16 to 21 year olds living in rural local authority areas;
	(3)  if she will estimate the likely annual cost to the Exchequer of introducing universal free concessionary bus travel for all 16 to 25 year olds who do not live in a metropolitan or Greater London authority area and are (a) in full or part-time education, (b) undertaking a registered apprenticeship and (c) in receipt of work-related benefits;
	(4)  if she will estimate the likely annual cost to the Exchequer of introducing universal free concessionary bus travel for all 16 to 25 year olds who do not live in a metropolitan or Greater London authority area.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport commissioned research in 2008 on the cost and impact of options for extending the current statutory minimum bus travel concession. Based on this research, the Department estimated that it would cost around an extra £740 million per annum, at 2008 rates, to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable 14 to 19-year-olds in full-time education to travel free at any time on buses England-wide.
	The Department does not have any estimates for the age ranges specified or for particular areas within England. There is no breakdown available by those undertaking part-time education, a registered apprenticeship or those in receipt of work-related benefits.
	The research is published and a link is available from the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/public-transport/buses/concessionary-bus-travel/citizens/

Bus Services: Concessions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the likely annual cost to the Exchequer of introducing universal free concessionary bus travel for all 16 to 25-year-olds throughout the UK with the exception of (a) the Greater London Authority (GLA), (b) the GLA and all metropolitan and city council authorities and (c) all non-rural local authorities.

Norman Baker: There is no estimate of the cost of extending the statutory concession to 16 to 25-year-olds. However, research commissioned in 2008 on the cost and impact of options for extending the current statutory minimum bus travel concession indicated it would cost around an extra £740 million per annum at 2008 prices to extend it to enable 14 to 19-year-olds in full-time education to travel free at any time on buses England-wide.
	Concessionary travel is a devolved matter but the research also considered the cost of extending the England-wide statutory concession across the borders into Scotland and Wales.
	The Department does not have any estimates for particular areas within England. The research is published and a link is available from the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/public-transport/buses/concessionary-bus-travel/citizens/

Bus Services: Concessions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the likely annual income to the Exchequer of introducing a universal free concessionary bus travel pass for 16 to 25 year olds which could be purchased for (a) £5.00, (b) £10.00, (c) £15.00, (d) £20.00, (e) £25.00, (f) £30.00, (g) £35.00 and (h) £40.00.

Norman Baker: The Department has no current proposals to introduce a universal free bus travel concession for 16 to 25-year-olds.
	The Department has not made an estimate of the possible annual income to the Exchequer from the sale of bus travel passes to young people. This would not be a straightforward matter as uptake and how it is affected by the price of a travel pass are unknown.

Disney Wonder Cruise Ship

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) her Department or (b) its agencies have been supplied with records of the Automatic Identification System transmissions for the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship on 22 March 2011.

Michael Penning: No. The Bahamian authorities have conducted the investigation into Rebecca Coriam's disappearance from this ship on this date; consequently the UK has not obtained this data.

Motor Vehicles

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals in respect of (a) companies and (b) equipment involved in the reduction of the recorded mileage of motor vehicles.

Michael Penning: The Department has recently announced the Government's intention to work with industry and motoring organisations to improve the motorist's confidence and experience when they have to take their vehicles to a garage. The garage sector is already regulated. It has to comply with business laws and consumer protection legislation.
	Over the next six months the Department will help motorists to spot clocked vehicles by arranging for MOT test certificates to show mileage information for the last three years, and encouraging car buyers to check the full MOT history of vehicles by accessing online the authoritative MOT database.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were registered in the road tax band (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F, (g) G, (h) H, (i) I, (j) J, (k) K, (l) L and (m) M in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many vehicles were registered as historic.

Michael Penning: The graduated vehicle excise duty (VED) bands, based on CO2 emissions, only apply to cars that have been registered for the first time since March 2001. Cars first registered prior to this date, and vehicles other than cars, are taxed in VED classes that do not relate to CO2 emissions.
	At the end of September 2011, the number of cars licensed in each of the CO2 emission bands in Great Britain was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Band A Up to 100 g/km CO2 110,190 
			 Band B 101-110 g/km CO2 592,188 
			 Band C 111-120 g/km CO2 1,334,291 
			 Band D 121-130 g/km CO2 1,169,288 
			 Band E 131-140 g/km CO2 3,015,600 
			 Band F 141-150 g/km CO2 3,210,984 
			 Band G 151-165 g/km CO2 4,776,468 
			 Band H 166-175 g/km CO2 1,930,352 
			 Band I 176-185 g/km CO2 1,561,542 
			 Band J 186-200 g/km CO2 1,678,022 
			 Band K 201-225 g/km CO2 1,332,497 
			 Band K(1) Over 225 CO2 1,052,974 
			 Band L 226-255 CO2 218,795 
			 Band M Over 255 CO2 239,532 
			 (1 )Band K includes all cars that have a CO2 emission figure over 225 g/km registered before 23 March 2006. 
		
	
	The number of cars licensed at the end of September 2011 that were first registered before March 2001 was 6,385,373. These are not counted in the above table.
	Vehicles first registered before 1973 are classed as historic and are not required to pay VED unless they are used for commercial purposes. At the end of September 2011, 162,734 cars and 152,836 other vehicles were licensed and were in the "Exempt—historic" VED class.

Network Rail: Public Relations

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been spent by Network Rail on public relations work (a) supplied by external agencies and (b) conducted in-house in each of the last three years.

Theresa Villiers: These questions should be addressed to Network Rail, which is an independent private sector company.

Roads: Accidents

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to assist local authorities to set meaningful local targets for road safety.

Michael Penning: holding answer 20 February 2012
	The Strategic Framework for Road Safety, published 11 May 2011, sets out our vision for road safety in Great Britain and the measures and actions that we will take to achieve this. It aims to provide clarity to local authorities on their roles and responsibilities in road safety and the increased freedom to assess and act on their own priorities. As part of this we have provided the Road Safety Outcomes Framework to monitor progress in reducing casualties as well as how we are reducing the risk for different road user groups.
	Local authorities are free to set their own targets if they find this useful. Ultimately, it is for citizens to judge if both local and central Government are successful in reducing deaths and injuries on British roads. To support this, we will be introducing an online comparison tool that would allow local people, lobby groups, practitioners, and LA officers to compare local performance information in their area against other areas, while comparing improvement rates. This will increase transparency and build capability to help people solve problems in their areas.

Roads: Lighting

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to revise guidance on the minimum amount of lighting required on A roads.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport endorses Well-Lit Highways, the Code of Practice on highway lighting management published by the UK Lighting Board. This is updated periodically and is available at the following weblink:
	http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/lighting/well_lit.htm
	The code provides a link to further guidance for local highway authorities to consider prior to deciding whether to introduce dimming, reduce operating hours or switch off lights for part of the night.
	The Highways Agency has plans to reduce the level of lighting on A roads when traffic levels are significantly below road capacity. Research, including assessment installations will take place in the next financial year. The agency has no plans to reduce the level of lighting on A roads during the peak periods that occur during the hours of darkness or to temporarily switch A road lighting off when traffic flows are low. The level of light reduction will be based upon internationally agreed standards and made in consultation with the UK's Institute of Lighting Professionals.
	It is right that lighting authorities consider, in the interests of cost-saving and the environment, whether lighting can be sensibly dimmed or turned off, consistent with proper safety assessments.

Shipping: Crime

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has made representations to the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organisation proposing the development of guidelines on the (a) collation and preservation of evidence following the allegation of a serious crime taking place on board a ship or following a report of a missing person from a ship and (b) pastoral and medical care of victims in such circumstances.

Michael Penning: Guidelines for both of these matters were submitted to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on 6 February 2012. These will be considered at the IMO legal committee in April 2012.

Shipping: Treaties

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) officials in her Department on International Labour Organisation Convention 185 on seafarers' identity documents; what recent steps she has taken toward ratifying this convention; and when she expects the UK to ratify this convention. [R]

Michael Penning: There have been no recent discussions with ministerial colleagues on International Labour Organisation Convention 185 (ILO 185) on seafarers' identity documents; however discussions are continuing between Department for Transport officials and officials in the UK Border Agency and Identity and Passport Service.
	The UK Government are concerned that the ILO 185, whose purpose is to facilitate the international movement of seafarers, does not meet international ICAO standards for biometric data held on identity documents. The ILO 185 standards are incompatible with any existing standard used within the UK for identification documents. The costs, which would either have to be met by the seafarer or the taxpayer, of procuring new equipment to produce and read a relatively small number of documents would be prohibitive.
	Discussions are taking place at international level to address the technical issues and I await a satisfactory resolution before discussing ratification of the convention with ministerial colleagues.

Shipping: Treaties

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps she has taken toward ratifying the Maritime Labour Convention 2006; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Michael Penning: The UK is already largely compliant with the requirements of the convention. Discussions are ongoing, including with the trade unions and the shipping industry, over those areas that require amendments to current legislation to ensure full compliance.
	In line with our policy of ensuring that all possible non-regulatory approaches have been explored and that there is a robust argument for the Government to legislate, full impact assessments are being prepared setting out the arguments for legislative and non-legislative approaches. We are near to concluding impact assessments and, subject to satisfactory independent review by the Reducing Regulation Committee, expect to open a public consultation in the spring.

Traffic Lights

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of speed sensitive traffic lights; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not carried out any specific assessment of the effectiveness of speed sensitive traffic lights.

Traffic Orders: Local Press

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations her Department has received from local newspapers on the potential effect of her plan to remove the requirement for local authorities to advertise traffic orders in such newspapers; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has received approximately 30 representations from local newspapers, or from MPs on their behalf, on this matter.
	Following a pledge in our recent traffic signs policy review document ‘Signing the Way’, a consultation on amending requirements placed on traffic authorities when they propose and make temporary and permanent traffic orders was launched on 30 January 2012. Further information may be found on the Department for Transport website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-06/
	The Department understands the concerns which have been expressed about the possible effect on the viability of local newspapers this change may have, and those concerns will be taken into account before a final decision is taken.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of (a) the number of women who take up apprenticeships in sectors in which women are less than one third of employees and (b) the number of men who take up apprenticeships in sectors in which men are less than one third of employees;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the extent of gender segregation within apprenticeship schemes; and what steps his Department has taken to address this.

John Hayes: I have made data available in the Libraries of the House showing Apprenticeship Programme Starts by Gender and Framework in England, in the 2010/11 academic year.
	Table 1 following shows the number of Apprenticeship Programme Starts by Gender and Sector Subject Area in England, in the 2010/11 academic year. Sector subject areas do not correspond directly with Standard Industrial Classifications. Based on the latest Office for National Statistics employee jobs data (a) women make up less than one third of employees in Construction and Manufacturing, and (b) men make up less than one third of employees in education, and human health and social work activities.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship starts by gender and sector subject area, 2010/11 
			  Female Male Total 
			 Sector subject area Starts % Starts % Starts % 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 440 2 27,650 98 28,090 100 
		
	
	
		
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 2,990 6 45,970 94 48,960 100 
			 Information and Communication Technology 4,920 25 14,610 75 19,530 100 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 6,290 29 15,290 71 21,580 100 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 330 32 700 68 1,030 100 
			 Science and Mathematics * * 10 * 10 100 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 3,070 42 4,310 58 7,380 100 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 63,500 62 39,280 38 102,780 100 
			 Business, Administration and Law 87,410 65 46,410 35 133,820 100 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 73,460 82 16,510 18 89,970 100 
			 Education and Training 3,580 88 490 12 4,070 100 
			 Total 246,000 54 211,200 46 457,200 100 
			 ‘*’ Indicates a base value of less than 5 or a percentage revealing a base value of less than 5. Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Total figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. Percentages are calculated based on unrounded figures. 4. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 January 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/
	Although overall numbers of male and female apprentices are fairly well balanced, this is not the case within some specific sectors and apprenticeships.
	The problem of gender segregation within apprenticeships was identified in a number of reports including the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills/Department for Children Schools and Families (DIUS/DCSF) publication: World-class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All (2008). As a result, the National Apprenticeship Service set out a clear aim to tackle the problem. The service is currently running a number of pilots with the specific aim of increasing diversity in the background of people applying for apprenticeships.
	One of the issues the pilots are focusing on is gender stereotyping; this can affect the choices young people make and the way they are treated within the workplace. The pilots are trialling a number of activities aimed at reducing gender stereotyping within apprenticeships; pilots are looking at changing the views or behaviours of potential apprentices, those who influence them and employers.
	I have received regular updates on the progress of the diversity pilots and will consider the recommendations from its final report due next month.
	BIS will work closely with all our partners to encourage young men to consider what until now, have been typically female apprenticeships and young women to consider, typically male apprenticeships. But that is not enough, we will also work with employers to ensure that any apprentice who does decide to take up the opportunity is accepted and made welcome within the workplace.

Business

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which schemes implemented by his Department since May 2010 differentiate between small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Schemes implemented by this Department since May 2010 include:
	
		
			 Product SMEs Large companies 
			 New national Manufacturing Advisory Service. Available Available 
			 Regional Growth Fund Available Available 
			 Additional funding for 250,000 more apprenticeships. Available Available 
			 Financial incentives to take on first apprentice aged 16 to 24. Available Not available 
			 Piloting an outcome-based payments system. Not available Available 
			 Co-funding for level 2 workplace learning. Available Not available 
			 Leadership and Management skills support. Available Not available 
			 Growth and Innovation Fund Available Available 
			 Employer Ownership Pilot Available Available 
			 Improved Business Link website (including Business Link helpline). Available Available 
			 Online mentoring portal ‘Mentorsme.co.uk’ Available Available 
			 Get Mentoring to recruit and train 15,000 volunteer business mentors. Available Not available 
			 Business Coaching for Growth service to provide business coaching support for SMEs. Available Not available 
			 Export Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme extra help for exporters aimed at SMEs. Available Not available 
			 Encouraging Business Angel investment through a new Business Angel Co-Investment Fund. Available Not available 
		
	
	The range of Government's interventions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reflects their critical importance to the UK economy. The Government do however recognise that SMEs are an incredibly diverse population. SMEs and large companies require the Government to act to ensure that the UK is an easy place to do business.

Business: Regulation

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Red Tape Challenge in reducing regulation in local government procurement.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge has not looked directly at this. Local authorities are responsible for their own procurement decisions, although many choose to follow central Government policies. The Government are engaging in the renegotiation of the EU procurement directives with the intention to make it easier for businesses, free up public procurement markets and enable a light touch, modern regulatory framework.
	The Government are also implementing a wide range of reforms to central Government procurement practices which will yield substantial savings to both the public sector and business.

Departmental Air Travel

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what occasions he has taken flights within the UK on official business since August 2010; what class of travel he used; and who accompanied him on each such flight.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has taken flights within the UK on the following occasions:
	
		
			 Date Journey 
			 20 July 2011 Leeds to Southampton with Press Secretary 
			 31 August 2011 London to Edinburgh with Private Secretary and Press Secretary 
			 11 November 2011 London to Glasgow with Special Adviser 
			 30 November 2011 Newquay to London with Private Secretary and Press Secretary 
			 30 January 2012 London to Belfast with Private Secretary and Press Secretary 
			 31 January 2012 Belfast to Birmingham with Private Secretary and Press Secretary 
		
	
	All bookings were economy class though his flight from Belfast to Birmingham was upgraded by the airline.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Departmental Recruitment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on (a) recruitment services and (b) executive search agencies in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Without incurring disproportionate cost it is not possible to separately identify the amount spent on (a) recruitment services and (b) executive search agencies but the combined spend on these two items, per month since May 2010 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 2010  
			 May 0 
			 June 0 
			 July 0 
		
	
	
		
			 August 0 
			 September 7,657 
			 October 0 
			 November 30,969 
			 December 0 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 13,260 
			 February 2,004 
			 March 16,702 
			 April 19,500 
			 May 2,400 
			 June 0 
			 July 0 
			 August 0 
			 September 4,800 
			 October 21,266 
			 November 51228 
			 December 55,497

Forth Road Bridge: Contracts

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions have taken place between UK Trade and Investment and the Shanghai-based company, Zhenhua Heavy Industries, on the awarding of steel contracts for the Forth Replacement Crossing bridge project.

Mark Prisk: There have been no discussions between UKTI and Zhenhua Heavy Industries on the awarding of steel contracts for the Forth Replacement Crossing bridge project.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which higher education institutions he expects to see a decrease in student places as a result of the implementation of the contestable margin of student places.

David Willetts: Institutions that did not receive any contestable margin places will lose some student places, but they will have the opportunity to possibly regain these places and potentially more, through the competition for AAB grade students. Until the admissions process is complete we will not know which institutions will see a decrease in student places. Assuming that institutions have the student demand, they will be able to recruit as many AAB grade students as they choose.

Overseas Trade

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on export of equipment which cannot be used legally in the receiving country; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Export Control Organisation within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills administers the UK's strategic export licensing system, which relates to controls on the export from the UK of specified military and dual-use goods.
	All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking into account all relevant factors, including the prevailing circumstances in the recipient country and the credibility of the stated end-use. A licence would not be issued if to do so was inconsistent with any of the criteria.

Public Houses

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs will consider the merits of accepting the recommendations of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee on pub company self-regulation made in its report on Pub Companies, HC 1369 Session.

Norman Lamb: The Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee reported on Tied Public Houses on 20 September. The report was highly critical of the industry. The Government responded on 24 November. They have not legislated, as the Committee wished, but have instead implemented a fast, tough and legally binding form of self-regulation. This has met with some support, including from family brewers and business organisations, but also heavy criticism from some MPs and lobby groups who wanted the Government to legislate. In January, a Backbench Business Committee Debate approved a motion for the Government to set up an independent panel to review the situation.
	The Government's decision not to legislate relied heavily on the fact that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) had found in October 2010 that no competition issues affecting consumers existed in the pub market. There was no good evidence that the 'beer tie'—a principal target of campaigners—was causing pubs to close or harming consumer choice. Finally, self-regulation could be introduced much more quickly than any statutory solution.
	Any review would simply be used as a vehicle to oppose to the Government's solution—the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee and others have made it very clear that they are implacably opposed to self-regulation and would only be satisfied by legislation. The Government have now committed sufficiently far to the self-regulatory approach that to back-track would prove difficult.

UK Trade & Investment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on UK Trade and Investment's ability to conduct face-to-face meetings with trade advisers at trade shows in overseas markets.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has reviewed its overseas trade show programme and will provide broader support packages for groups of UK participants. Commercial staff will continue to attend major fairs, where they advise businesses on UKTI services and opportunities in specific markets. Funds accruing to UKTI from the autumn statement of 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, will be used to enhance a range of export activity, including trade fairs.